Going After Cacciato Theme Of Madness

Imagination has long been the dividing line between madness and sanity, often being the saving grace between the two. Tim O’Brien clearly illustrates this in his novel Going After Cacciato through the epic fantasy of Paul Berlin, a young Vietnam soldier six months into his one year tour, trying to decide whether or not to desert the war and follow after his AWOL comrade Cacciato. When Cacciato originally flees the war, attempting to reach Paris, the squadron follows suit. It is not made clear to the reader how far the men chase after him, but upon returning they are assigned to an observation post where Paul constructs a dream of deserting as well. Throughout his six hour long watch shift, Paul Berlin constructs an adventure in his mind about

For example, the first allusion Paul uses takes him and his team “down the rabbit hole” to avoid a crisis in his dream. Paul’s fantasy developes a big problem when he imagines the squad meeting a young woman, Sarkin Aung Wan, and the lieutenant says she is not permitted to accompany them. Unknown to the reader, Sarkin will later act as the alter ego of Paul when it comes time to make his decision so it is crucial that she accompanies the team. Paul realizes that he needs to find a way out of a difficult situation and imagines an earthquake, and suddenly “[t]he road was gone and they were simply falling, all of them…. everything, tumbling down a hole in the road to Paris” (O’Brien 76). This incident reflects back to the children’s story Alice in Wonderland; however, to Paul, this vision is very real. As O’Brien says in an interview with Eric Schroeder “he doesn’t treat the fantasy section as Alice in Wonderland-ish, as if filled with goblins and hobbits and fantasy creatures, but instead treats it very realistically, as straight declarative prose” (138). This allusion shows the innocence of Paul and the attempt to try and preserve it, and his sanity. In addition O’Brien uses an allusion to Jack and the Beanstalk to describe an escape from jail and responsibility. As Paul’s fantasy leads the team to be captured and thrown in jail, Cacciato appears and aids in an escape. The group must then proceed through a mad chase away from the authorities as he repeatedly thinks “[f]lee, fly fled” (O’Brien 243). This is a play on words from the notorious “fee fy fo fum” known in the childhood story. The police in the story represent the giant, the responsibility, and the decision that Paul is running away from. Much like a child, or even a madman, he deals with his issues by running away to an imaginary sanctuary in order to protect himself. Furthermore, just like