Walter Dean Myers's Fallen Angel

831 Words2 Pages

The Vietnam war was widely televised and portrayed the costs of war to the USA as never before seen. In the novel Fallen Angel by Walter Dean Myers expertly illustrates the loss and tragedy of the war that took so many lives. Many protested because they did not understand that to win a war there must be sacrifices made to achieve the goal. The effects and costs of war are great as well as many from death to losing limbs or even a friend. The first event in the story that illustrates this is Jenkins death, which was caused by a vietnamese land mine. The next incident is when Charlie Company opens up on what they believe is some VC but turns out to be the First Platoon and Richie witnesses all of the blood gore and death of his own comrades. The last event was when Richie and the squad went to secure the village little An Linh is is and Richie saw close up the destruction left behind by the VC. War is a violent affair and there are necessary sacrifices and losses of life made to further one's side’s agenda. …show more content…

The first event in the story that had a real effect was when Jenkins who was ushered into the military by his father is killed by a vietnamese landmine. In chapter 4 Jenkins who was pushed into the military by his father is tragically killed by a trap laid by the vietnamese. As richie is helping with the body he quietly expresses his disgust in his head. “I thought I would throw up. I stood along with the other guys in the squad until the bag had been zipped up”(42-43). Jenkins was a nervous and fidgety character and for him to go by ways of an unseen adversary was only fitting for his time in the story. Richie is dealing with the show after the passing of Jenkins and he quietly think to himself. “I could feel my fingers. Only inside I was numb”(43). Death is not a strange subject in war more of a common

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