Old Historical Criticism Essay Fallen Angels

Old Historical Criticism Essay

Fallen Angels

Lam, Jimmy

AP English Language and Composition / AP U.S. History

Mr. Jennings / Mr. Esselman

16 May 2013

BANG! Your best friend is dead. What would you do? How would you feel? The consequence of war is Death. Your friend lies motionless in the midst of war and you're all that's left. Do you retreat and leave your friend, or die honorably? Do you choose to fight another day; a fight that you can win?

These are the questions that rush through Richard Perry's consciousness during the midst of war. Faced with the death of his closest friends, Perry fights to defend his country. Inevitably, he realizes that his simplistic notions of war were childish. As the war rages on, Perry fights for something more than his country, he fights for his right to live; he fights to come home alive.

Through Richard Perry, Walter Dean Myers depicts the struggle of a young man who enlists in the army during the Vietnam War. Quite frankly, he joined the army only because he was unsure of what to do at the time. Because of his young age, he was careless and could not perceive the dangers of war and its physical and mental effect on people. Unaware of what lay before him, he came to the battlefield completely unprepared and thought that the war would leave him unscathed. The title itself, Fallen Angels, represents the idea of the soldiers' loss of innocence as a result of the horrific encounters with the enemy.

Uncertain about the future that awaits him, a confused and lost seventeen-year-old named Richard Perry decides to enlist in the army during the Vietnam War to find himself. He has hopes of grasping a sense of the real world. As a child, he had dreamt of going to college and pursuing a career in writing, but his dreams were crushed when his father abandoned him and his family. Unlike his father, however, he is able to provide for his family back in the states with the little money that he has. Unaware of the brutality and the violent nature of war, Richard Perry soon finds himself contemplating the fragility of his own life in the midst of war.

Although enlisting in the army at such a young age seemed to be a wonderful notion at the time, Perry's “simplistic and childish ideas of war” shortly became a wake up call for him in Walter Dean Myers' Fallen Angels (Gibbs 1). Confronted with the death of his comrades, he soon realizes that his life could have ended abruptly as well. Through Richard Perry, Walter Dean Myers portrays that life is fragile and that one should appreciate what they have because once they're gone, there is a chance that special piece of your life might never come back. Because of the numerous deaths that he witnesses, Perry is able to grasp a true sense of reality and realize at the end that he has lost something very dear to him; his innocence. While searching for meaning in his life, he is encountered with moral ambiguity, the chaos of war, and the human instinct of survival. Ultimately, what he encounters throughout the novel catalyzes his maturity in adulthood through the loss of innocence.

The title itself, Fallen Angels, is the most prevalent indicator of this theme. All of the young soldiers, such as Perry, are “angels” in the sense that they are innocent and naïve. As explained by Salvadore, “Myers calls these young boys 'angel warriors'” because they have not yet witnessed the reality of war so they feel invincible and act careless until it is too late (Salvadore 1). As Perry begins to narrate his experiences in Vietnam, he highlights the importance of innocence by emphasizing and reminiscing his childhood memories.

Detached and ignorant of the reality of war, as Richard Perry arrives in Vietnam, he is asked for his motives for enlisting. Unaware of what lay ahead of him, Perry answers, “the army was the place I was going to get away from all the questions,”(Myers 15). He ironically uses Vietnam, arguably the site of the most turbulent mess of violence and destruction at that time to escape. His inability to understand the idea of war shows his lack of direction. However, when he is faced with the death of a comrade, he finally realizes that his previous depiction of war was foolish, “visually perceiving him lying there like that... had grabbed something inside my chest and convoluted it hard," (Myers 43). Perry is faced with a trauma that he has never felt before; the shock and apprehension of the death of someone who was just talking to him encompasses his thoughts. Being a fresh recruit, he had no idea what war meant, and now that he has finally gotten a taste of it, he realizes that the naïve and careless die. The concern that's instilled in him brings confusion and makes himself question his reasons in Vietnam. It finally occurs to him that he has been isolating himself from reality, and that this was his first time in the real world. Being inexperienced and young, he wasn't sure what to expect, but even worse, how to survive.

As the war progresses, Perry becomes more familiar with the aspects of war. Loathing the horrors of war, he tries to deny the deaths that are all around him, but fails to do so as he comes to the realization that, “they just died because somebody else was scared, maybe careless. They died because they were in Nam," (Myers 106). Although as innocent and caring as he was, after witnessing the deaths of comrades, innocent woman and their children, there was nothing that he could do by himself to rectify the matter. Rather then crying about it, he learned to cope with the terrors of war that would eventually become a part of him, and he reflects that, “war was not a long way from where we were; we were in the middle, and it was deeply within us,”(Myers 167). Now that he's more accustomed with the aspects of war, his survival becomes second nature to him because it's a kill or be killed world. But, he doesn't realize the full extent of this meaning until he comes face to face with a Vietcong, faced with a gun at point-black range. In self-defense, Perry fires his gun until “there was no face. Just an angry mass of red flesh...and then he turned away... vomited”(Myers 181). He did not turn away just because of the appalling sight before him, but turned away emotionally; he's trying to block it, getting it out from his thoughts. Instinctively, this was the only way to deal with the situation. Now that Perry is immersed into the depths of war, he is forced to grow up, regretting that he had lost his innocence to such bloodshed.

Wondering what will result in his constant struggle for survival, Perry's main aspiration is just to survive the war and go back to the states. Growing wearisome of the war, he tells us, "I had been in country four months. I hadn't seen a lot of action, but enough. Lord knows it was enough," (Myers 217). Having watched his closest friends die, innocent women and children perish before his eyes, and nearly dying himself, he's grown weary of the war. Before the war, seldom was weariness an obstacle for him, but now, it was the norm; the only thing that kept him going was his survival instinct. Terrified that he'll eventually die, he says, “What to tell God? That I didn't want to die? That I was like everybody else over here, trying to cling to a few more days of life" (Myers 289). By turning to God, he's desperate for survival, but bravery and instinct are truly the only factors left for survival. This also happens to be one of the last time that we see Perry's innocence, his final plea for life.

During one of the last operations before going back to the states, Perry embraces the violent horrors of Vietnam any way he can, so that when he does go home, he could say that, “It wasn't the wounds that kept us bent, that tugged at our shoulders, so much as it was the fatigue. We were tired of this war," (Myers 308). Even though he eventually survived all of the bloody and gruesome battles and left them all behind, the experience might have given him an insight on life that he would have not gotten if he had not enlisted in the army; he had learned not to take things for granted, because he knew he would miss them once their gone; such as his innocence.

Immediately before he had left for departure, saying his last farewells to the villagers, he was confronted with what he recalled as the most gruesome episode of his experience in Vietnam. As Richard Perry was saying his final farewells and giving his doll that he had made for the little girl, a stranger came up to her mother. No one knew, or could predict what was going to happen next; the stranger was a Vietcong who had a hidden bomb strapped to his chest. Before anyone in the squad could intervene, the bomb went off and blew the women into unidentifiable fragments. “Her frail body was torn...” (311). The frailness of life became apparent to him as he saw pieces of her body airborne, as if it were in slow motion. The death of this woman led to Perry's realization that life is fragile, and that her daughter should have least gotten to grow up with her mother. Unfortunately, no matter whose custody the child is taken under, it will never be as special as that of her birth mother.

Richard Perry's experiences in the Vietnam War catalyzed his maturity, and made him realize the importance of the things that he had back in the states; he realized that they all could have disappeared in an instant. His search for what was morally right in the midst of the war allowed him to grow closer with the natives, and in turn, appreciate what he had going before the war, even it wasn't what he had imagined. The near-death experiences made him redefine his thoughts of war and its glorification, that his simplistic notions of war were foolish. Afterwards, when the war was all over, he started to live his life to the fullest, and learned not take things for granted, as he had realized how blessed he was just to survive the war while most of his friends had died.

After such turmoil in the United States during the decade of the seventies, caused by the great division within as a result of the Vietnam War and its retreat from the war, the people were ready for a change. The seventies gave the people a sense of distrust, primarily because of the Watergate scandal. That however, was not the only problem; turmoil was also caused by the racial and semipolitcal protests that took place at college campuses across the nation. Unlike the seventies, the eighties was a decade of hope and optimism; a vision to reborn America. The eighties are perceived by many as a time of drastic change in the expression of culture, a time of high political activity and a period of economic growth and technological development. Many also refer to the eighties as the Age of Reagan because of his major contributions to culture, politics and the economic resurgence that swept the nation.

While “Born in the USA” and “The Message” demonstrated that American pop culture could reflect President Reagan's vision for America, they were far more likely to celebrate Reagan's values rather than oppose them (Feldstein 233). Because Reagan's popularity lasted throughout most of his presidency, pop culture was largely reflected by America's admiration of the president and his ideas. The eighties fostered the beginning of hip hop and rap, and although conservative supporters didn't appreciate the cultural aesthetics of hip-hop, most of the artists embraced an ideology that was similar to Reagan's overall worldview. Outsite the world of hip-hop, the ideology generated by the people were also similar to those of Reaganism. The dominant trend in hip-hop, even in its “old school” glory days, was not toward social activism as much as it was toward materialism (Feldstein 247).A prime example was “Material Girl” by Madonna, which was one of her early hit singles that took her career off into superstardom.

They can beg and they can plead

But they can't see the light, that's right

'Cause the boy with the cold hard cash

Is always Mr. Right

Cause we are living in a material world

And I am a material girl (Rettenmund 3).

Madonna's materialistic values marked those that had dominated in the late seventies and early eighties in young Americans. This was a drastic change from the previous decade as songs such as “Danny's Song” by Loggins and Messina deliver a very different message: “And even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with you honey” (Rettenmund 7). Young Americans during the eighties were more materialistic and money driven, which reflects Reagan's ideology of capitalism.

As the decade progressed, MTV became sort of “forum” for those who opposed the yuppie ideal. For many, the “yuppie,” a baby boomer with a college education, rewarding job and extravagant taste, was an ideal symbol of the decade (Batchelor 73). Although yuppiedom defined a majority of the people during this decade, some disdained yuppies because of their self-centered and materialistic idealism. Often, they were young professionals that were more concerned with their economic stability and jobs then compared with their parents and grandparents; they lived a more affluent life-style. In some ways, yuppiedom was more or less shallow than depicted by the people. For example, popular television shows and movies during the 1980's such as "Thirtysomething," "The Big Chill," and "Bright Lights, Big City" depicted a generation of young, prosperous men and women who were encompassed by the tension and uncertainty of the time (Rettenmund 5). These people were unquestionably successful, but happiness was a different matter as their values were more capitalistic.

Along with Reagan's influence of culture, he also promoted new technological advances and was involved in the opening of the Summer Olympics in 1984. His unrelenting enthusiasm about space exploration played a key role in the development of the space program. A new era in space flight began on April 12, 1981, when Space Shuttle Columbia soared into orbit (Hayward 33). Throughout the 1980's, the United States was considered the world's leading producer of high-technology products because of it was the first space shuttle that was reuseable. In 1981, he was the first president to open an Olympic game that was held in the United States. The Soviet Union and several other Communist countries boycotted the Summer Olympic games in response to Jimmy Carter's partial boycott during the 1980 Olympics (Hayward 127). Not only did Reagan's presidency help speed the end of the Cold War, but it also marked the beginning the president's involvement in the Olympic games.

Often referred to as the Great Communicator, Reagan was a very effective speaker and had a gift for optimism; he was an epitome of the American Dream (Kengor 78). Most of the great changes that occurred during the eighties happened as a result of the policies that he introduced to reduce the growth of government spending, federal income tax, capital gains, inflation and government regulation. These policies became to be known as Reaganomics as they contributed to conservative politics and economic prosperity (Kengor 89). Because of America's involvement in the Cold War, Reagan introduced his defense initiative: Star Wars. Considering this, and the poor economy of the Soviet Union, the collapse of communism in Europe soon followed.

The early years of Reagan's presidency was unfortunately marked by a recession that swept the country. Real gross national product (GNP) fell by 2.5 percent following late 1980, as the unemployment rate rose about 10 percent and almost a third of America's industry were in trouble (Reserve Bank of Atlanta 67). Throughout the Midwest, workers from large corporations such as General Electric and International Harvester were discharged and lost their jobs. Not only did this contribute to the decline, but also the oil crisis. As the United States' productivity slowed, major powers such as Germany and Japan gained a greater share of world trade, hence America's increased of imported of goods. Farmers were also faced with hard times because high oil prices in 1980 raised farm costs (Reserve Bank of Atlanta 103). Prior to the eighties, farmers had helped countries such as India, China, and the Soviet Union suffering from crop deficiencies, and had to borrow a substantial amount of land to increase production. Increased production costs weren't their only problem, however; the worldwide economic crash considerably reduced the consumer demand for farm products. Essentially, they digging a hole that they couldn't get themselves out of and the income gap between the rich and everyone else widened.

In order to rectify the declining economy, President Reagan's domestic program was established in his belief that the nation would prosper if the power of the economic sector was unleashed. As an advocate of “supple side” economics, a theory which stresses that the costs of production as a means of stimulating the economy, Reagan felt the desire to instill large tax cuts in order to promote more consumer spending and investment (Hayward 71). Although only a small portion of Republican majority in the Senate and House of Representatives were influenced by Democratics, President Reagan was able to see through the major aspects of his economic program. Even though this was only his first year in his presidency, he was able provide a 25-percent tax cut for people over a three year time period. Consumer spending increased in response to the federal tax cut. Commited to lowering taxes, Reagan also signed one of the most comprehensive federal tax reforms, the Tax Reform Act of 1986, ever for the past 75 years (Hayward 72). Supported by both Democrats and Repbulicans, this reform lowered tax rates and closed loopholes, which aided families with low-income. Despite President Reagan's efforts, there were still some people, mostly farmers, that suffered from their economic situation.

Overall, there was a growth in the economy and the majority of the national wealth increased. Underlying this economic growth, however, was that the national debt nearly tripled because Reagan's domestic program was based on deficit spending (Reserve Bank of Atlanta 67). Despite this, and the recession that occurred during the late seventies and beginning of the early eighties, there was one significant benefit that defined this decade's economy: it constrained the runaway inflation that had begun during Carter's presidency. Conditions started to improve steadily in late 1983, and by early to late 1984, the economy rebounded and the United States entered one of the longest periods of continuous economic growth since World War II (Feldstein 88). Later, Japan introduced a voluntary quota on its car exports to the United States and the stock market climbed as it reflected its optimistic buying spree. During this five-year period of recovery, Gross National Product (GNP) grew at a rate of 4.2 percent per year and the annual inflation rate fluctuated between three and five percent from 1983 to 1987. The GNP grew bountifully between 1982 and 1987, and the United States economy created over 13 million job opportunities (Kengor 131). With the creation of jobs, a major opportunity has opened for the lower, less skilled working class.

This economic prosperity would not last forever, though, as the stock market crash in late 1987 raised controversy as to whether or not the economy will ever regain its stability.The eighties were indeed a time of great prosperity, considering the way that the decade had begun. Even so, however, the optimism in American's died near the end of the decade as the economy plummeted.

At first glance, Fallen Angels seems to have been written in the wrong decade because the Vietnam War had ended prior to the eighties. However, due to the extensive research of the eighties and a thorough reading of Fallen Angels, I firmly believe that this novel was written in the eighties because major aspects of the historical significance seem to have been woven into the experiences of a young soldier, Richard Perry, during the Vietnam War. Although these connections between the eighties and the novel are not resolute, there are certain aspects that are certainly undeniably parallel. With the numerous connections that are made between the historical content and the novel, Fallen Angels is a befitting conceptual representation of the eighties.

People regarded the eighties as a time of prosperity that had begun as a recession. It was a time of economic opportunity, and many people dreamed of the ideal life. “Yuppiedom,” was defined by a baby boomer with a secondary education, high-salary job, and accompanied with a flamboyant taste. Similarly, Richard Perry could be defined as “yuppie:” he had dreamed of going to college and aspired for a career in writing, but since his father had abandoned him, he was left with almost nothing but a lost dream.

The most distinguishable comparison between the historical component and the novel seem to have been marked by the early eighties, as it dawned an era of an optimistic ideology for the upcoming decade. This optimistic view stimulated economic prosperity, and is transcribed into the novel as Richard Perry's childhood, where he had dreamed of going to college and becoming successful. Perry was simplistic in the sense that he thought he could enter the war and return home unscathed from the horrors of war. People during the early to mid eighties thought that this time of economic prosperity would continue for years to come. Unfortunately, the economic growth that was thought to be everlasting was halted by the stock market crash during late 1987.

The policies that were legislated in the eighties by Reagan are similar to the liberation of the small villages in Vietnam. Although their aims were to help the people as a whole, only a majority of the population received any substantial or noticeable benefits. Despite their efforts, and despite Reagan's efforts in tax cuts and domestic programs, it did not help everyone, but they had the right intentions of doing so.

Towards the end of the decade, when the stock market crashed, people started to question whether or not the economy would ever stabilize again. This marked the end of economic growth. At the end of the war, Richard Perry realized that he had lost something very dear to him, his innocence. The unspeakable horrors that had confronted him during the war destroyed his innocence. Both these were similar in the sense that it was marked by an end, or a loss.

The historical events that occurred during the eighties, however intentional or not, are represented abstractly in the novel, Fallen Angels. The message from the eighties and novel present to us an unforgettable theme that nothing is everlasting. By analyzing the aspects of both the historical background and significance of the book, one is able to acknowledge the importance of how literature is influenced by its history.

Annotated Bibliography