Analysis of O'Brien's Arguments about Contact Zone

Analysis of O'Brien's Arguments about Contact Zone

Introduction

Most of the researcher believes that O'Brien stories hold enormous power as he allows listeners and tellers to face the past together and contribute to the incomprehensible practices. In the story “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”, O'Brien sketches an extremely stylized version of Vietnam stories that defines the adventurous journey of a girl with her beloved at the place of war. The story is about the adaptation of culture and instantly mingles with it. O'Brien did not suggest incorporating the components of each culture into an easy blend, but he advised that the characters should select a single cultural identity. This concept of O'Brien contradicts to the philosophy of Mary Louise Pratt that explains contact zone as a intermingling of two or more cultures.

Thesis Statement

The arguments of O'Brien are about the nature of Contact Zone in his story “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” that eventually conflict with the ideology of Pratt. The paper will discuss how the conflicting theme of contact zone reflects via story of O'Brien.

Discussion Analysis

The story of “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” rebuts the thought of women as one-dimensional beings who give out only to propose comfort to men. O'Brien heard this story from Rat Kiley, who is famous for his exaggerated stories. Rat tells “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” in an isolated area where he goes for help. One day, a highest ranking officer suggests in a joking manner that the area is so safe that you could even bring a girl to the camp. Fossie, a younger medic presumes that if he gets Mary Anne, his beloved to the quarters to his men keep, as he will receive her companionship and comfort and she will stay untouched from surroundings. This fantasy of Fossie was instantly crushed as Mary Anne immediately learned about the things surrounding her, the procedures, the nature of war, the way of cooking and the language of Vietnamese (Vanderwees, 2009). Undoubtedly, Mary is a quick learner and she swiftly picks up the way in which Vietnamese lives and behave. Sarcastically, though her fighter boyfriend brought her to in ease while he was the middle of war, but at the end, the conversion of Mary Anne made realized him that his girlfriend is more adventurous than him. The analysis of the story depicts that Mary Anne herself entered in foreign Vietnam, incomprehensible to Fossie, who later on simply seems like a visitor that has come to see the war. Mary Anne enrolls in the chaos, uncivilized jungle and gets irretrievably enchanted by the frightening world which is totally different from her. Her feelings towards the war were certainly different and she did not want to lose this journey.

Before coming to the camp, Fossie used to see Mary in Pink sweater and skirt but after coming to the camp, he finds her wearing a necklace of human tongue around her neck. She said to Fossie that “I ...