rumor of war

Summary of Symbolism Presented by 'Vietnam/War' In reading Philip Caputo's book, "A Rumor of War," I discovered that he strongly presented a similar idea to that of Tim O'Brien in his book, "The Things They Carried." This is the idea that war can not bring or cause good, it only produces varying amounts of evil. Philip Caputo volunteered for the Marines because he was looking for a way to prove himself, and he saw …

…need to live, and precisely what holes they may fill. Cross's insight near the end of the story is profound; it is indeed sad, the things that people feel they must bear. Perhaps when one feels the most needy is the time when he must free himself from those excesses that weigh him down and become like the soldiers in their dreams; "they gave themselves over to lightness, they were carried, they were purely borne" (22).