The Vietnam War In Luis Valdez's The Buck Private

In the protest play “The Buck Private” by Luis Valdez argues that the vietnam war was an immoral thing ; he uses a humorous and ironic narrator, Death, to show that he Vietnam War killed many young men. Valdez supports his argument by telling a story about a soldier who enlisted into the United States Army and later died while fighting for the U.S. Death tells the story using flashbacks. The author’s purpose is to show the audience the life of so many families to give emphasis on the harsh reality of war. The author writes in humorous and serious tones for the audience to understand the horrors of war. Johnny is mostly a tragic hero, because he is a good man with sincere character who dies because of it. First, a tragic hero is he a good man, with a

He had a decent relationship with his mother and father, though he was not treated as a man because of his choices in life. At first, Cecilia’s parents thought Johnny was a good for nothing, because of the choices he made in his life. After Johnny enlists he is given more respect. His parents give him special treatment. His mom made his favorite food for his last night. His father offered him a beer and wanted to celebrate, he also thinks his son is a man now since he joined the U.S. Army. Cecilia’s parents thought Johnny had become more responsible because he had enlisted. Valdez shows irony in scene seven when Johnny is talking to death and death asks “Round trip or one way?” and Johnny responds with “One way”(637). This was irony because it was implying that he had already chosen his fate for being dead. Johnny felt like he needed to join the army because he did not want to wait for the draft. After he enlisted everyone was being nicer to him and gave him more respect. Valdez’s purpose for showing different treatment from different people is so the audience can see how a uniform automatically makes you responsible and more