Luis Valdez, in the protest play, “The Buck Private” illustrates the ambivalence that every family that has had a son, brother, or loved one feels when a loved one goes to war. Valdez supports his protest by showing us flashbacks of Johnny’s life and what family endured because he enlisted in the Vietnam war. The author’s purpose is to condemn the war and encourage all young men to serve in the war. The author writes in a darkly humorous tone for every family who has gone through the same. Although in some ways Johnny is a tragic hero, some characteristics of his life suggest that he is not a hero. Johnny is a good person with many positive characteristics. He shows this to us when his actions are sweet to his mother and Cecilia. Johnny …show more content…
Cecilia’s parents never approved of Johnny, up until he enlisted and headed off to war. After he enlists, he gains respect. Everybody treated him differently by treating him as if he were special. To the family, going off to war is a huge deal. As well as it is for Johnny, but he is being ambivalent about going into the war. Johnny commits a tragic mistake when he neglects his intuition. This would have prevented his death and make a huge positive impact in his life. The audience realized that Johnny shouldn’t have went to war at the beginning of the play. Johnny’s death affects the audience by making us feel sympathetic and shocked. The reason for that is, that Johnny was a good person. His personality and character was appealing to the audience. The audience was hoping to see Johnny succeed in his life and in war. His life was taken away too fast. Valdez uses stock characters to help him achieve his purpose. These help him by reaching out to the audience. In the 1960’s many families and young men faced the same circumstances as Johnny. They will respond more deeply to the drama than anyone who reads the play because it is interesting. This shows the audience how young men and their family would go through when they were being enlisted in the VIetnam war back