48 pages • 1 hour read
Alice McDermottA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
While volunteering at the military hospital, Tricia and Charlene meet a retired American military doctor who seemingly emerges from the nearby jungle. The doctor causes a shockwave in their small group, and the mysterious nature of his character allows him to act as a symbol for several of the novel’s key themes.
The American doctor is described as handsome, but notably disheveled and dirty. Though he speaks and acts crassly, making the group uncomfortable, Tricia feels an inexplicable attraction toward him. Drawing on her Catholic faith, she wonders uneasily if he is the devil. This interpretation is enhanced by the fact that he seems to morph into what each of the women finds most appealing. Seen through this lens, the doctor is a force of evil attempting to lure the women away from their faith in humanity and commitment to the Greater Good.
The doctor also represents the basic reality of the war. He operates from a brutish physicality, eating voraciously, sleeping late, and defecating in the nearby bushes. He relates his experiences with the war in unflinching and brutal detail, leading Tricia to speculate that his crassness is “the true measure of what it took not to look away” (193).
By Alice McDermott
Asian American & Pacific Islander...
View Collection
Books that Feature the Theme of...
View Collection
Colonialism & Postcolonialism
View Collection
Friendship
View Collection
Guilt
View Collection
Memorial Day Reads
View Collection
Memory
View Collection
Military Reads
View Collection
Popular Book Club Picks
View Collection
Popular Study Guides
View Collection
The Best of "Best Book" Lists
View Collection
Vietnam War
View Collection
War
View Collection