What can we take
away from the ultimate failure of the reconnaissance mission on Anopopei?
Who is at fault? Did Cummings devise a bad plan? Was Croft
not as effective a leader as he believed himself to be? Was Hearn too inexperienced an officer to lead the misson successfully? Do the
other men fail? Or is it all just a series of unfortunate events?
Did you find the failure of the mission a disappointment? Why
or why not?
While the reconnaissance
mission ends in futility, the Anopopei campaign must be considered
a resounding success. Yet if the failure of the reconnassance mission
is disappointing, the breaking of the Toyaku line and subsequent slaughter
of Japanese forces is far from fully satisfying. Why?
Meanwhile, you may have
heard the saying, “Victory has a hundred fathers but defeat is
an orphan.” Who is most responsible for the U.S. victory
on Anopopei: Cummings? Dalleson? the soldiers themselves?
anyone?
If Mailer’s
goal was to elicit our “severe compassion,” does he succeed?
Now that the novel is over, for whom did you feel the strongest compassion?
Is there anyone at the end of the novel who lies beyond the reach
of your compassion? Why or why not?
We have discussed
realism and naturalism, but now it is important to consider the question
of the absurd. What does absurd mean to you, and how do you
think it applies to this novel?