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Essay: The Importance Of Life In The Sorrow Of War

971 Words4 Pages

From he who endures the most deepest of sorrows, we hope to hear, “He returned time and time again to his love, his friendship, his comradeship, those human bonds which had all helped us overcome the thousand sufferings of the war” (233). In The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh, Kien was a North Vietnamese soldier who fought courageously during the Vietnam War. He faced death and the hardship of losing each of his fellow comrades along the way. Upon returning home, Kien was a struggling soldier trying to rid his mind of the sorrow of war through writing. The novel not only introduces the sorrows brought on by war, but it emphasizes the importance of life. The importance of life is shown when Kien realizes his life has meaning and when he realizes life is too short and precious to have not made a close relationship with his parents. The war mentally drained Kien to the point where he thought he could no longer go on, but he soon realized his experiences in the war happened for a reason. The war helped him find his meaning in life and his will to live. Life after the war filled Kien with anxiety and flashbacks. He slowly relived each horrible memory while he was secluded in his small apartment in his hometown of Hanoi. He recalled each memory, and “not a single detail was missing” (121). He compared each memory to a funeral march. After these memories progressed through his mind, he felt like his life …show more content…

However, the novel not only introduced the sorrows brought on by war, but it emphasized the importance of life when Kien realizes his life has meaning and when he realizes life is too short and precious to have not made a close relationship with his parents. Kien’s soul was happy to write all of his stories which focused on “his love, his friendship, his comradeship, those human bonds” (233) that helped him and his generation overcome the thousands of sufferings of the

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