War is a symbol of pain, suffering, injuries, and the loss of many innocent lives. Words cannot describe the intensiveness and the pain people experience. War is about the experiences people have on the battlefield, as well as how civilians suffer. War damages many people’s lives, both, physically and mentally. Unfortunately, the ones suffering are not just the people at war, it is also their families. They go through the same bloody path as their loved ones. Every survivor is getting haunted by the burden of killing. In a short story “Stop the Sun,” by Gary Paulsen, a thirteen-year old boy named Terry, whose father has a psychological disorder known as the Vietnam Syndrome, wants to know why his father acts in such a weird way. Throughout the story, Terry understands that words can not show experiences; furthermore, he learns to accept people even if they have disorders. The theme of the story “Stop the Sun” is that understanding brings acceptance as shown by Terry’s feelings and senses of curiosity, embarrassment, and tolerance.
Firstly, the theme of the story “Stop the Sun” is that understanding brings acceptance, as shown by Terry’s senses of embarrassment. Terry is a curious boy, who likes to figure out things he thought he did not understand. His mother told him that his father’s behavior was caused by the Vietnam War, but he knows that something specific had to cause it, not just the War. The text states, “But it bothered him him whenever it happened. When something