Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - Essay Example

s the assignment was due Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Modern literary works focusing on war and life of the veterans could ‘push’ the readers into contemplation about the contemporary society and the insidious political aspects relating to war. In his debut novel, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, Ben Fountain shows the current American society’s perspective on war and soldiers in a new dimension for his readers. The novel is set on the backdrop of America’s war in Iraq, portraying the struggle of the veterans in adapting to their homeland culture. This exhilarating read is praised for its brilliant language with sharp insight on the society’s perspective on money, fame and patriotism. The novel was declared as the Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and also become a finalist for the National Book Award. This article interprets the author’s thoughts on the theme of War, showing how the book portrays the concept of war, its effects on the life of the soldiers as well as how it is perceived by the common public. The novel is a satirical work that exposes the irony of the contemporary war life, which is trapped in the hands of the political and social forces. The author clearly takes the readers to a new dimension that shows the sobering world behind the common notion of war. The book exposes the reality of the American politics to ‘sell’ war among the public, which is indeed a demeaning act against humanity. Though the book beautifully captures the disconnection that every soldier experiences between his/her life at war and at home, it also shows how they are used for materialistic gains. Treating war soldiers with love and respect is more important than showing off self-congratulations with fanatic pageantry and jingoism for their warfare achievements. “You would strive to protect and love one another, yet this bond that should be the big no-brainer was in fact the hardest thing.” (Fountain 100). The irony of the soldiers’ war life is portrayed showing their emotional attachment and togetherness at an alien land, contrasting that with the lack of apprehension experienced among the fellow citizens at homeland. The Bravo Squad attains fame through the footage of their ferocious fight at the Al-Ansakar Canal, which is broadcasted nationwide, ultimately hailing them as the heroes of war. The protagonist of the novel, Billy Lynn is a part of this squad, and he is trotted into a two-week nationwide ‘victory tour’ by the political administration to invigorate the public’s support to war. The tour culminates at the Texas Stadium on the Thanksgiving Day, celebrating a spectacular ceremony with the football team, Dallas Cowboys and pop group, Destiny’s Child. The novel revolves around the one-day happenings, portraying the thoughts of Billy as it ‘rambles’ in all dimensions. The fanatic patriotism exhibited on the stadium by the players, fans and fellow citizens makes Billy realize the reality of the nation’s view on war and soldiers. “Somewhere along the way America became a giant mall with a country attached.” (Fountain 222). Throughout the day, Billy contemplates on his experiences in war, realizing the truth behind the violence, fear and death that surrounds the lives of soldiers in the war-field. He is also concerned about his family, love, country, and his fellow soldiers who he would be missing and yearning for in the coming days at Iraq. Finally, Billy realizes the bitter truth, which is, he had to either make a heart-wrenching decision to breakthrough or comply with the norms in order to survive against the odds of war life. The society’s approach towards war seems to be totally distorted when viewed from different perspectives. We can observe from the eyes of Billy how the American society has woefully misplaced their priorities towards celebrity and patriotism instead of valuing sacrifice and effort. The way the people resonate with sports and media seems far away from their approach towards war. In American culture, war is treated as a symbol of power and dominance that expels the so-called enemies out of their way. However, this notion is completely contrary to the reality of war that is experienced by the soldiers at the war-field. Billy gives a perfect reflection of the soldier’s life, showing the reality of war life. "The war makes him wish for a little more than the loose jaw and dull stare of the well-fed ruminant." (Fountain 23). The public’s ideas on supporting war go fanatical and a bit wayward towards the realities of war, soldiers and battlefield. When the squad of soldiers is taken on a nationwide tour, we can see the unfazed American culture that is totally uninvolved in war but overzealous in treating the soldiers with fame and honor. As Billy remarks, “It is sort of weird being honored for the worst day of your life.” (Fountain 149). Actually, the public are unaware of how a war might be or what efforts and sacrifices a soldier takes to survive in that environment. All they know is to be part of fanatic patriotism, adorned with bumper stickers, flag waving and avid hailing of soldiers. The deadly battle that the soldiers survived cannot be apprehended by the civilian societies, who are completely disconnected from those affairs. “Billy suspects his fellow Americans secretly know better, but something in the land is stuck on teenage drama, on extravagant theatrics of ravaged innocence and soothing mud wallows of self-justifying pity.” (Fountain 11). It is clear that the American society of today is exposing their patriotism through weird ways. The superficial support and patronizing done for the soldiers and war by the American citizens are totally absurd because their sympathy and support were less inclined to the dying soldiers in the foreign land, and more focused on celebrating the heroism of the Bravo Squad and squandering money with pop music groups and football. It lets the readers ponder over what do the cheerleaders and athletes intend to do in an event meant to honor the patriotic soldiers and show the significance of war. The dignity and respect is what the soldiers need to be bestowed with, not the superfluous cheers, celebrations, monetary contributions and sympathy. Billy mentions that “silence being truer to the experience than the star-spangled spasm, the bittersweet sob, the redeeming hug, or whatever this fucking closure is that everybody's always talking about.” (Fountain 137). Stating that "I support the troops" is just a vacuous sentiment voiced by most of the public without knowing the real intention or sympathetic value behind it. However, this is indeed the real dimension of the today’s American society that is carried over by cultural short-sightedness. The American soldiers are treated as an asset for selling war to the common public. As stated by Billy, they are “just grunts riding on some millionaire’s dime, some lame support-the-troops charity case.” (Fountain 9). It is hard for the soldiers themselves to articulate the significance of war beyond their notion of loyalty and support for one another. To be true, the war is an insidious game and soldiers are pawns on the hands of the country’s political players. The attitude of the political administration to use a soldier’s sobering experience to merchandize the war is demeaning in all aspects. Overall, the book is a vivid exploration of the disconnection and dissonance that exists in the America society between the military life and the civilian life, during the wartime. Work Cited Fountain, Ben. Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk: A Novel. HarperCollins, 2012. Read More