The Wars - A Pivotal Point in the Novel [Entry Five]

A 0.455 Magnum Revolver

A gun and a horse...this can't be good.

What would happen, if at one point in your life, you were forced to do something you would totally regret?

"Robert had always loved the sea" (57)

This is a statement the novel makes right before Robert sets off on his journey to fight for his glorious country. I can't help but feel this is very similar to that said by Ryuji in the Sailor Who Fell From Grace with The Sea by Yukio Mishima, where the sea symbolized freedom and the concept of endlessness and eternity, maybe even sadness to a certain extent.  A pivotal point occurs though in the novel which I found to be shocking and this is when he is forced to shoot a horse to death as its leg is broken and cannot continue to serve in the war effort. It happens on page 68. Imagine this on a rocking ship where manure and flies are everywhere and the thought of doing this deed in the dark with horses around you that are deathly afraid of loud noises. It's just pleasant, isn't it? I found this point in the novel to be very intriguing because it reflects that Robert Ross, despite his attachment to animals, decides to kill the horse not only because it was an action that needed to be done, but because it was part of his duty to do so. Several officers were around him and he needed to represent his title as a Second Lieutenant well and so doing this seemed for him to be the best thing to do.

The novel states, "Robert forced his eyes to open: aimed - and fired again. This time the horse was hit on the withers. Robert sank to his knees. He could hear himself breathing. He held the gun in both hands. He pressed it hard behind the horse's ear and swore at the horse: 'God damn it, damn it, damn it -stop'. His knees where wet and he drew himself into a ball and pushed with all his strength. He began to squeeze the trigger and he squeezed it again and again and again - so many times that when the Sergeant - Major pulled him away the gun went right on clicking in his hands" (68)

The following excerpt not only shows Robert's struggle to kill the horse, but reflects his inexperience with yielding a gun and properly using it. It's at this point that titles don't mean anything if there is no experience to support it. It's at this point which I believe his morals and innocence will deteriorate. Imagine this. His hesitation can be represented as a line. It's difficult to cross this line at first, but once he crosses it, no longer will guilt hold him back. Passing this line will be easy every time because the first hesitation is what was preventing him from doing so. I'm very dissapointed for I believe that Robert is risking everything for the sake of this war, including his morals. But then again, many of real life soldiers have sacrificed much more.

The reader is left wondering, will he encounter many more rite of passages? What impact and significance will it have on himself and to those around him?

Till next time,
Alexander Truong.