Mood

"It had been a hard night. Maube the worst ever. The rains had fallen without stop, and the Song Tra Bong had overglowed its banks, and the much had now risen thigh-deep in the field along the river. A low, gray mist hovered over the land. Off to the west there was thinder, soft little moaning sounds, and the monsoons seemed to be a loasting element of the war. The eighteen soldiers moved in silence" (pg 155). Through these few sentences, O'Brien effectively sets the mood for this chapter. Chapter 17 is one of the most negative and depressing chapters within the novel. It describes the death of Kiowa and the recovering of his mangled body. I think the way the author introduces this chapter really sets the reader up for the rest of its contents. Usually I dont feel too empathetic when reading books or watching movies; however, this book was different for me because it was real. Even more than that, the person telling the story was there. War doesn't seem real to me because i have never experienced it- so when O'Brien describes every detail about the weather and physical stress and every other negative aspect of the war, it catches my attention. When O'Brien sets a mood with all of his detail it makes the story come to life. Not only does it help me envision the events taking place, but it also helps me get into the mindset of what is happening.