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“The truths are contradictory. It can be argued, for instance, that war is grotesque. But in truth war is also beauty. It’s not pretty, exactly. It’s astonishing. It fills the eye. It commands you. You hate it, yes, but your eyes do not…and a true war story will tell the truth about this though the truth is ugly.” (O’Brien pgs 80-81)
This quote caught me by surprise because I wondered how you could find beauty in war. The ugliness of war overshadows any beauty from an outsider’s perspective, but O’Brien, the witness, does speak about beauty. In the horror of death and killing he describes dusk, the end of day with its changing hues of orange and red. “…you find yourself studying the fine colors on the river, you feel wonder and awe at the setting of the sun, and you are filled with a hard, aching love for how the world could be and always should be, but now is not.” (O’Brien pg 82) I think it is our human nature to look for beauty because it is pleasing to our eyes and soothing to our soul. For those in combat, finding something of beauty is a mental reprieve. Perhaps it is a coping mechanism to incorporate images besides the ugliness of war into their minds. Our eyes capture images in milliseconds. The contradiction is that our eyes also capture images of horror before we are even aware enough to turn away. Unfortunately, the eyes and brain are not discriminating in what they choose to see or recall. When the mind is filled with these disturbing images, they can come out of storage and play like a movie when least expected in the form of post traumatic stress disorder. This truth is ugly.
Here is an informative link on PTSD.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/DS00246
El,
ReplyDeleteI found this passage interesting as well. I was surprised at his choice of words, but in the context of the whole book, I think it fit well. I agree with you that we naturally try to find beauty in the image we see. After thinking about what you said, and what O'Brien wrote, I interpret what he said to mean there was so much to take in, that your brain did not dislike it. In a visual sense, removing all emotion, the colors and shapes are intriguing. Once you add the emotional aspect, war becomes ugly and grotesque.
I have worked with many people with PTSD in the nursing homes. Some are very severe cases, and seeing the result of Vietnam is extremely heartbreaking.
Thanks for the thoughts!