Chapter 19 Summary

After writing "In the Field," Tim decides to take a field trip of sorts and takes his daughter on a tour of Vietnam. Tim takes Kathleen, 10, to the field where Kiowa died. She doesn't understand why they are there, and though Tim says she is very patient throughout the trip, she does call him weird for his obsession with something that happened so long ago. For his part, the field seems smaller, and is very different from his memories.

Tim says that he wanted Kathleen to see more than just the tourist section of Vietnam, which is one reason they visit the field. Another reason is that he wanted to leave Kiowa's grandfather's hatchet in the spot where Kiowa died. He goes into the muck, and Kathleen is confused as to why he would go into something so dirty and smelly. He feels...