Through Bao Ninh’s The Sorrow of War, we learn that Vietnamese soldiers are met with a harsh reality that completely contrasts their perception of life and political structure, and therefore, soldiers like our protagonist, Kien, lose their identity and morals. For soldiers, experiencing war first hand causes them to lose civilized human qualities like compassion, respect, and values, and instead creates an animalistic behavior in people.
Firstly, before they even get to the battlefield, the shift in behavior is present amongst soldiers. When the train taking the soldiers to where they will be deployed is attacked, a man rapes Phuong. He tells her, "If we have to die, then let’s die. Isn’t that right darlin’? Stay here with me. Have pity on