The Trauma of War Conveyed in Ninh's Short Story, A Marker on the Side of the Boat and the Film, Barbed Wire and Mandolins

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War is cruel. The Vietnam War, which lasted for 21 years from 1954 to 1975, was a horrific and tragic event in human history. The Second World War was as frightening and tragic even though it lasted for only 6 years from 1939 to 1945 comparing with the longer-lasting war in Vietnam. During both wars, thousands of millions of soldiers and civilians had been killed. Especially during the Second World War, numerous innocent people were sent into concentration camps, or some places as internment camps for no specific reasons told. Some of these people came out sound after the war, but others were never heard of again. After both wars, people that were alive experienced not only the physical damages, but also the psychic trauma by seeing the deaths and injuries of family members, friends or even just strangers. In the short story “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” by Bao Ninh about the Vietnam War, and the documentary film Barbed Wire and Mandolins directed by Nicola Zavaglia with a background of the Second World War, they both explore and convey the trauma of war. However, the short story “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” is more effective in conveying the trauma of war than the film Barbed Wire and Mandolins because of its well-developed plot with well-illustrated details, and its ability to raise emotional responses from its readers.

The short story “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” has a very well-developed plot filled in with rapid actions to show the effect of the Vietnam War on an ordinary young soldier of North Vietnam Army. The story is presented as a flashback of that soldier. It was Christmas Day, and the soldier was sending letters alone in the war zone Hanoi. The soldier, after delivering letters all by himself in the a...

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...l. No one except Dr. Pancaro knew this coincidence until later after Dr. Pancaro passed away. This doctor could have just killed the officer on the operating table, but he felt nothing bitter against that officer. So did many other people involved in the documentary. If the internees themselves did not feel the bitterness and trauma, how could we as viewers feel the trauma? And why should we feel that trauma of war?

War does leave people with all kinds of trauma as illustrated in the Bao Ninh’s short story “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” and Nicola Zavaglia’s documentary film Barbed Wire and Mandolins. When comparing the effectiveness of conveying the trauma of war towards the audiences, however, the short story “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” is more effective due to its well-developed plot and the emotional responses from the readers arising from the story.

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