Quotes from FRED DOWNS

To his wife, Linda:

'Right now I'm pretending that I'm talking to you'. (p.60)

'...one wonders how much the human body can stand'. (p.61)

'Everyone in the field wants the million-dollar wound...' (p.69)

'We found ... where the [VC] had been ... and - get this - at one of the tables, six hands of cards'. (p.69)

'I told my men ... the first ... to kill a dink ... I would buy them a bottle of whiskey. They can't wait to kill one of them now'. (p.70)

'My RTO ... was crying ... letters ... from ... his wife ... said she didn't care whether he came back or not ... It is bad enough over here. But when your wife writes shit like that it completely destroys a man'. (p.171)

This last quote appears in the 'World of Hurt' chapter of the text. It is only at this point that Edelman reveals to the reader that Fred and Linda have 'since divorced'. He has purposefully organised the plot in this way to enhance our general understanding of the soldiers' experiences and reveal a main idea in the text that pertains directly to this chapter's title. What impacts do you think Edelman is trying to have on the reader by only mentioning this detail at this particular point of the narrative? Please leave your responses as comments.

Character Profiles

In terms of characters, there is a lot going on in Dear America. Each letter writer is a character in their own right. For the purposes of our classroom study we are going to refer to four of the letter writers as main, tangible characters in the text. You need to understand though, that this is not a definitive interpretation of the text. In your own reading and understanding of the text there might be another letter writer that jumps out at you as being a central narrative voice. There would be nothing wrong about you choosing to discuss that particular person as one of the protagonists of the text in an essay.

Another reason I want you to be aware of this is because, when you undertake your own background reading and research of the text, you will undoubtedly read about letter writers being discussed as main characters that are different to the ones we have chosen. These are simply different interpretations of the text and, perhaps, ones that you might wish to draw from in your essay discussions. Ultimately, who you discuss as main and minor characters in response to an essay question will be up to you.

The four characters we will view as protagonists for our classroom learning are:

- Rodney Chastant
- George Olsen
- Fred Downs
- Sandy Kempner

These characters are authors of multiple letters throughout the text that appear across most of the chapters. We are going to take some time to get know these men individually by creating character profiles for them. Complete this character profile chart for each soldier:

Dear America Character Prof... by on Scribd

Character Comparisons

Compare and contrast characters; address themes, ideas, values, perspectives on Vietnam, etc
THE SOLDIERS ARE NOT THE ONLY CHARACTERS IN DEAR AMERICA

Through exploring the similarities and differences between main soldier characters in Dear America, we can develop insights into their various feelings and beliefs about the Vietnam War and life. These insights can be used to discuss the types of relationships that exist amongst military personnel who share war experiences. Also, in comparing their voices, one can see that they engage with a variety of people, directly and indirectly, from Vietnam and America. For example;

One soldier writes a letter venting the anger his company feels over the Kent State University protests. He admonishes,

So why don’t your hearts cry out and shed a tear for the 40-plus thousand…brave, fearless, loyal men who have given their lives so a bunch of bloody bastard radicals can protest, dissent, and generally bitch about our private and personal war in Vietnam …We are trying to end the war so [Americans] will never have to face the harsh realities of death in our own country…Support us, help us end the war, damn it, save our lives…. (pp.226-227)

Another exposes the corrupt nature of the war,

The Vietnamese don’t want us over here. All they want is our money. Many of us…see…those higher up too are intent on hauling in more money than they could amass anywhere else in the world for doing as little as they do…I really don’t want any part of it, so I participate as little as possible in all things army…Eventually…I’ll be able to come back to the U.S…. (p. 231)

And, the words of Marine 2Lt. Tyrone Pannell, to his baby girl Tracy, evince a raw feeling of the devastation of war on the people in the midst of it. He enthuses,

I want so much to say the right things…that will make you understand how very much I love you…More than anything I want you to know me and love me…The next time I see you, you will be a little lady, walking and talking. Learn how to say “Daddy.” I love you with all my heart. (p.245-246)

Tyrone Pannell never gets to meet his Tracy. Tracy never gets to meet her “Daddy”.

These letters are comments on relationships between the soldiers and the media, anti-war protesters, the Vietnamese, military hierarchies, and family. Making connections between similarities and differences amongst the polyphony of voices presented in Dear America will give you a strong background from which to analyse the war and its impacts on the soldiers and other characters. Such a discussion will lend itself to consideration of the themes, values and ideas Edelman expects the readers of Dear America to explore.


1.  FIND REPRESENTATIONS OF THREE CHARACTERS/CHARACTER TYPES IN THE TEXT WHO ARE NOT SOLDIERS – Who are they? Are they the author of a letter or mentioned in a letter? What do you think their significance/importance is? How does their inclusion broaden the reader’s understanding of the Vietnam War? What does it make them realise about the overall themes, values and ideas presented by the text? (Write a paragraph for each)


2. Use the Character Comparison Chart Template below to compare and contrast Rodney Chastant, George Olsen, Fred Downs and Sandy Kempner as well as other characters:

DEAR AMERICA Char Comp Chart by on Scribd