Disillusionment

The novel portrays disillusionment as an inevitable consequence of exposure to war, as seen through Jack’s perspective. Jack transforms from an idealistic soldier who follows protocol to one who sees the inefficacy of the Army and the pointless nature of the war because of his experiences in Ashuriyah and the war in general. The theme starts to appear around the midpoint of the novel. For example, when Barbie Kid tries to stab Chambers and Hog negligently discharges his firearm, Jack begins to question the set of circumstances that could have given rise to an Iraqi teenager trying to kill an American soldier. He compares their experiences to those of their grandfathers, saying “[our] grandfathers had pushed back against the onslaught of fascism. Just what the fuck were we doing?” (135), which throws the complexity of the Iraq war in stark contrast to the relatively clear political...