Vietnam War (and Antiwar) Literature 1
name; Ted Kotcheff ’s First Blood (1982), starring Sylvester Stallone, is based
on David Morrell’s First Blood (1982); and Norman Jewison’s In Country
(1989) is adapted from the 1985 novel by Bobbie Ann Mason. Students might
consider comparing a film to its original source, paying particular attention to
changes in plot and how they affect overall representations of, and perspectives
on, war. Students might also consider whether Hollywood versions are more
or less effective than their literary counterparts in conveying the experience of
war. A thematic approach to film and literature would also be worthwhile. The
induction of soldiers in films such as Platoon (1986), Apocalypse Now (1979),
and Hamburger Hill (1987) could be examined alongside Philip Caputo’s A
Rumor of War (1977). Images of the returning soldier in Hal Ashby’s film Com-
ing Home (1978) could be compared to those from its source, George Davis’s
1975 novel of the same name, or works such as Paco’s Story (1986), by Larry
Heinemann. Good starting points for identifying additional works and critical
approaches are offered in Mark Taylor and Catherine Calloway.
- In “Novels about the ‘Other Side’” (in Marc Jason Gilbert, pp. 115–120) Gilbert
W. Berkley notes that most works about the Vietnam conflict feature “Viet-
namese characters [who] are either absent, peripheral, or drawn from Western
stereotypes.” This observation can serve as the starting point for examining the
representations of the Vietnam conflict in works by Vietnamese American writ-
ers. By echoing the work of Tim O’Brien, Andrew Lam’s essay “The Stories
They Carried,” included in Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora (2005), suggests
that the experiences of “boat people” are no less important than those of former
American soldiers. They, too, have survived war. Other Vietnamese immigrant
works that depict the war and its aftermath from a bicultural perspective include
Andrew Pham’s memoir Catf ish and Mandala (1999), Lan Cao’s autobiographi-
cal novel Monkey Bridge (1997); Dao Strom’s Grass Roof, Tin Roof (2003); lê
thi diêm thúy’s The Gangster We Are All Looking For (2003); and Aimee Phan’s
short-story collection We Should Never Meet (2004). Students might also com-
pare these depictions to those in A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain (1992)
by Anglo-American veteran Robert Olen Butler. In addition, students might
consider how the perspectives of those who left Vietnam contribute to a larger
understanding of the war and its aftermath.
- Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Fifth Book of Peace (2003) juxtaposes a section
about the fictional war protester and draft dodger Wittman Ah Sing and his
experiences living in Hawaii with a section describing Kingston’s own writing
workshops, in which participants include Vietnam veterans from both sides of
the conflict and those who, like herself, protested the war. Similar workshops,
such as those hosted by the William Joiner Center Writers’ Workshop at the
University of Massachusetts, Boston, have allowed veterans to practice the
process of writing in order to promote healing and peace. Examining prose
and poetry written by veterans, students might consider how writing about and
retelling war experiences promote healing and peace. Works by amateur writ-
ers are included in the anthologies edited by Kevin Bowen and Bruce Weigl
and by Kingston. For a discussion about the connection between writing and
healing from war, students can also consult Tal.
