I really liked "The Grass" by Daly Walker. It was really sad how he had to deal with life after the war. It seemed like he was affected by it to the point where he did not want his wife and daughter to know the things he had done and been through. I thought it was interesting when he goes back as a doctor to help the people of Vietnam. But he went in with a fear inside of him and bad memories from the war. When going back home he has a different view of the people. He even made a connection to a veteran like himself that fought for Vietnam.
I think the author, Daly Walker,uses theme to portray a meaning in "The Grass". I believe the theme in this story is that war can cause pain to any one person. But the way you deal with it is how you will be affected for the rest of your life. In the story Walker is ashamed of the things that he has done. so he does not want to let his wife and daughter know of such things. He is fearful that they will see him differently then they already had seen him. He could not stop thinking back to what happened when he was in Vietnam. It was like clicking the rewind button over and over again and then play. By going back after it had been several years it helped him cope with it. He helped the people of Vietnam and he even befriended a war veteran like himself, whom he tried to help by giving him thumbs. So he was affected by the war negatively. Although, he was able to cope with it really well when he returned as a doctor to help those in need. But what is the connection between Dinh and Walker? Why did Dinh feel so confident that the surgical procedure for his thumbs would work? I know he felt that Walker is a good surgeon but what other factors? Why do you think it did not work? How do you think Dinh was feeling?
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I definitely agree with you that Walker uses theme to portray the meaning of the short story. I think war cause pain to the person involved with it and his/her relatives and close friends around that person. I think that if I had gone to war I would also not want to tell my family what I had done and gone through, first because I would not want them to feel sorry for me and second I would not want to be seen differently. It is good that Walker went back to Vietnam to help, it really did relieve a lot of stress from him and also like you said helped him cope with what he was suffering with.
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