English 015 - Americans Abroad
Pursuit of Peace
Pursuit of Peace
Category: 08B: Going After Cacciato | Andrew Plowman
Paul Berlin believes that the road Cacciato is leading them to is a road to escape war and find a meaningful life. They are heading westward which stands for civilization and peace. This westward “country [is] far from the war, rich and peaceful country” (pp.16). Berlin, “whose only goal was to live long enough to establish goals worth living for” (pp.26), shows the road westward as a form of emotional survival.
Berlin later finds Sarkin Aung Wan, a refugee, a symbol for his passion to escape war and continue the journey westward toward peace. “We must go on then. We must keep going until you are sure” (pp.57). Wan could very well represent Berlin’s true feelings. She is a character who could have easily been fabricated to express what Berlin truly believes: his need to escape war and establish goals worth living for. Following Cacciato through various scenes, the self-indulged philosophical examinations Berlin undergoes on the observation post, and the concept of finding refugees are all reinforces to obtain a sense of peace by escaping war.
Posted by aplowman on December 02, 2003 at 01:33 PM