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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder In The Yellow Birds

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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is defined as, “a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or seeing a terrifying event.” (Mayo Clinic) The condition enables an individual to imagine the horrific event repeatedly due to a trigger. PTSD is most common among soldiers or those in the line of duty. This is due to the brutality of combat. Some events that may have the potential to create the disorder in soldiers include seeing dead bodies, being shot at, being attacked or ambushed, receiving rocket or mortar fire, or knowing someone seriously injured or killed.
The novel, The Yellow Birds, written by Kevin Powers exemplifies Post Traumatic Stress Disorder through the characters within the book. The novel “is a tale of friendship, loss and redemption.” (Book rags) The story is told from the perspective of Private John Bartle, the main character, who is a prime example of a PTSD victim. …show more content…

When he’s at the airport, he pictured leaving a trail of sand behind him. This imagery shows that the war is still attached to him and shows that Bartle psyche is unstable. Further in the book, Bartle is depressed and ashamed of his actions and continues to drink nightly. This shows how mentally unstable the war has caused him to be. Powers depicts Bartle’s instability and shows how critical his case of PTSD is.
Murph’s mental stability also deteriorated throughout the duration of the novel. In Chapter Four, Murph’s girlfriend wrote him a letter breaking up with him. Although he doesn’t show physically that he was hurt, this was the beginning. The author makes the reader feel sorry for Murph in this chapter. He’s on the other side of the world, fighting to stay alive, and his girlfriend broke up with him. Bartle also notices a change in Murph indicating how much the stress of the war has aged him. This begins the decline of Murph’s mentality and he slowly gives into the state of

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