This image shows Kien and Phuong when they are apart from one another. Kien is with another woman aboard a train, and Phuong is with another man, far away from Kien. They both are attempting to fill voids within themselves, unsuccessfully. The broken hearts above them symbolize their discontent with their current situations and they realize eventually that they can never truly be happy when they are apart from each other.

Sam's Journal Entry

In the sections where Kien talks about his experiences in the Jungle of Screaming Souls, it seems that the jungle is a direct reflection of Kien's thoughts and overall mental state. The jungle is a real place with gloomy days and rainy nights. It is a place outside the comforts of civilization, and it encases fear and pain and a sense of loneliness. Inside the jungle, Kien is held a prisoner from the outside world and suffers because of it. The jungle is haunted by lost souls of soldiers and devils that will not leave to the "Other World." Like the jungle, Kien's thoughts are full of memories that will not leave and threaten to keep him trapped. Post-war, Kien secludes himself and keeps himself hidden from those around. He succumbs to loneliness letting the pain form like rainclouds in the jungle. He seems to have become a human manifestation of the jungle he so desperately wanted to get out of.

Paul's Journal Entry

Community Ties


On pages 60 - 65 in the novel, Ninh talks about the community that Kien returns to.  In his hometown of Hanoi, everyone seems to know each other.  There is much gossip that goes around and seems to be that nothing can stay hidden among the townsfolk.  Growing up as a Vietnamese American, I was never privileged enough to experience that type of community in Vietnam.  Ironically I was able to grow up with that experience here with my family.  What I've learned is that when a Vietnamese person hangs out with another Vietnamese person, all we do is gossip about everyone else we know.  It may be rude to some and outrageous to others but it has been show that Vietnamese people accept that because we don't "trash talk" instead we use complete and utter brutal truth.  This is what I call "The Truth".  Kien's community clearly is a nosy lot, however it so shows that these people no matter how many bad things can be said, they care for one another's well being and future.  Not once in the passages did the neighbors really badmouth each other, in fact all they spoke about was "The Truth".  Kien's neighbors knew all about each other, they knew who was interested in whom or what was going on with her/him.  Kien returns disconnected with his community, he seems as though he can not relate to him because they did not experience what he did.  It can be assumed that had Kien opened up with the community he would not have resorted to writing and drinking as a means of escape.  The best example is that throughout the book Kien respected his fellow soldiers and even named things after them i.e. the pack of card. Kien was not driven away from the idea of community, but driven away of developing a community with people who knew would not understand his sorrow.

Alex's Journal

"With canina one smoked to forget the daily hell of the soldier's life, smoked to forget hunger and suffering."

     This passage stood out to me because it shows the stress that the war caused them. There was constant physical and mental stress brought upon them. Canina was a type of escape from it all. They would sit around together and dream about whatever made them happy. Many soldiers dreamt about family, while others dreamt about food or women. It was their own oasis away from all of the chaos. A time to let go of all the fear and anxiety, allowing them to travel to a place of personal bliss. There was the constant fear of losing one's life at any moment. That is a tremendously large stress to carry. They needed escapes like these in order to get some sense of peace. They also got a sense of happiness when they were together hanging out and playing cards. They went through and saw so much that even the smallest escape from reality got them through their days. It is heartbreaking to see all that soldier's endure, and their longing for their families and relationships at home. It shows the bravery and courage that soldiers exemplify.

Jason's Journal Entry

Ghosts play an integral part in Kien's life and he is constantly haunted by ghosts of his past. It seems to me that Kien feels some sort of strange peace and reconciliation as he is visited by the ghosts of his fallen comrades. Also, it is strange and unsettling how Kien lives in his past and how he almost exclusively communicates with his ghosts. The ghosts seem to represent Kien's life and lively hood as he appears to be more lively, his descriptions become more lucid, and he seems to stop wandering as he sees and experiences his ghosts. Additionally, Kien's ghosts appear to be representative of life and a driving force as they compel Kien to write his war stories. There is even evidence that they may actually be taking over Kien and his pen because he is described as writing his memoirs in a "mechanical" fashion.

Sapna'a Journal Entry

Kien can't seem to stop writing and seems to be controlled by it. In this drawing, there is an outline of a man, which represents Kien and his inability to control his thoughts and memories as they flow out. The table and empty chair represent the writing of Kien's novel being crafted seemingly on its own. His need to write is almost guided by a subconscious force. The dark colors surrounding the table represent all of Kien's memories--mostly bad and traumatic ones. However, there is some light green to show some lighthearted and good memories he has lingering. While writing is the guiding force in Kien's life because it's his way to deal with his experiences and trauma, it takes on a life of its own. 

Fariba's Journal Entry

This drawing is a representation of what the main character Kien sees in the small mirror on page 70 of Bao Ninh's novel The Sorrow of War. Kien explains that he is astonished by seeing his reflection. I chose to draw this picture because it represents the physical changes caused by the war on Kien and how he cannot bear to look at himself in the face. His reflection shows greyed hair, wrinkles and circles under his eyes. These physical attributes were more likely brought on by no sleep, excessive stress and other physical and mental hardships of the war. The mental hardships Kien endured, such as the horrible memory of his love Phuong's rape, caused him to drink himself into a drunkard state of being.