While he is fighting a heartless war, she is nursing and going about her day-to-day life. Martha is aware of the love Cross has for her, however, she fails to correspond to his love. O’Brien analyzes the relationship that takes place between these individuals, “She wasn’t involved. She signed the letters Love, but it wasn 't love, and all the fine lines and technicalities did not matter...He hated her...Love, too, but it was hard, hating kind of love” (O’Brien 25). O’Brien feels sorry for Cross and the ineffective relationship he intended to start with Martha when he uses words, that have a negative connotation to them, such as, “wasn’t love” and “wasn’t involved”. These words describe Martha in a negative way; the …show more content…
The author enhances the impact war has on the lives of the soldiers and women, as Mark Fossie’s girlfriend comes to comfort him she quickly changes due to the brutality of war. Fossie asks her to leave Vietnam, but she rejects the offer because she feels comfortable in the savage war, “Mark Fossie suggested that it might be time to think about heading home, but Mary Anne laughed…” (O’Brien 70). O’Brien’s optimistic diction explores another relationship that failed within the war, but this time the woman stays because of what she witnesses, he uses words such as “laughed” and “think about heading home”. The diction is literal throughout this passage, as Fossie questions her stay in Vietnam; she quickly brushes of his proposal by laughing. The way in which Fossie and Mary express themselves can be seen as juxtaposition, Mary believes war is fun; on the other hand, Fossie has witnessed the deaths it has caused. The cumulative sentences are filled with diction that is emotionally charged, for example, “suggested” portrays Fossie as a frightened man. On the other hand, telegraphic sentences are in use to convey heartbreak, as it is not something easy to handle, therefore, the author writes about it quickly and moves on. Mary Anne lands in Vietnam to serve as comfort, yet she does the opposite and