Reading #10, Question 1

[Ian McKay]

In "In the Field", why was Azar making jokes about Kiowa's death?
Also, why did he feel guilty about it only after he saw Kiowa's dead
body?

[Lakey]

That's a good question Ian. I believe that Azr was making jokes about
Kiowas death to lighten up the mood. It was really hard for all of
the soldiers, including Azar, to cope with the death of Kiowa. Azar
felt the need to make it seem almost funny, telling how it was, "pure
world-class irony" (O'Brien 158) the way he died. It helped him to
stay cool about the death of his fellow soldier. If he made fun of
the way he died it didn't seem so real and harsh. Finaly, when they
found Kiowa's body Azar realized what he was doing and saw how real
and heavy the matter at hand was. Azar saw how, "A piece of his
shoulder was missing; the arms and chest and face were cut up with
shrapnel. He was covered with a bluish green mud" (O'Brien 167).
This was when Azar realized that it wasn't a laughing matter and how
Kiowa had been such a good friend to all of the soldiers. Even he
couldn't laugh after seeing how Kiowa had died.

[Rosemary]

I agree with Lakey. I think Azar made the jokes because it made the
search for Kiowa's body less tedious and because his death seemed
unreal in the first place, but when they found Kiowa, the reality of
the death set in. "Their only thought was to find him and dig him out"
so when Azar tried to lighten the mood of the continuous search,
Kiowa's death was the only subject he could think of (155). Before
they found the body, his death seemed unreal. The young boy was a
witness of Kiowa's body sinking into the field, but he did not admit
this to anyone; the other men had not seen his dead body until they
dug it up. I think that's the reason Azar felt guilty. He had been
joking about the death because he had not fully allowed himself to
believe it, but once he saw the body, sadness and guilt took over his
attempt at denial.

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[Jason Guy]

I agree with both Lakey and Rosemary. Azar was telling jokes about
the irony of Kiowa's death, such as "Wasted in the waste," and "One
more redskin bites the dirt," (O'Brien 158) because to Azar had not
fully accepted that Kiowa was gone, and in his head it all seemed like
a bad joke. Also in such a serious situation, Azar was attempting to
lighten the mood and get the rest of the soldiers' minds off the
tedious and horrible task of finding Kiowa's body. Eventually when
the rest of the platoon found and dug up the body of Kiowa, Azar took
back the jokes he had made on the grounds that, "when I saw that guy,
it made me feel - I don't know - like he was listening." and "I felt
sort of guilty almost, like it was my fault" (O'Brien 168).

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[Logan Torgerson]

Lakey, Rosemary, and Jason all make great points, but I don't think he
was trying to lighten the mood. I really do not think he was
specifically meaning to make jokes about Kiowa's death, but it was the
only thing stuck in his mind while the men were searching for Kiowa's
body, so it is just naturally the only thing he can think of to talk
about. "A classic case," Azar was saying. Biting the dirt, so to
speak, that tells the story." (O'Brien 158). When the soldiers find
the corpse of Kiowa, reality begins to sink in and Azar begins to feel
guilty. "Azar moved to the dike and sat holding his stomach. His
face was pale." (O'Brien 167). Azar felt like a fool for joking about
a situation so serious and immediately wishes he could take back his
jokes once the reality has set in that Kiowa is gone for good.

[Austen Stevens]

I agree with Logan- Azar's statements were less of a conscious effort
to lighten the mood while searching for Kiowa's body rather than a
means of diverting his own thoughts from the events from the previous
night. Azar is absorbed in the pure situational irony involved in
Kiowa's death, running the loss over in his head in an attempt to
rationalize it. He doesn't really know how else to respond to/cope
with the seriousness of the situation other then by making jokes, a
means of desensitizing the circumstances. Azar even proceeds to say
"Man, talk about irony. I bet if Kiowa was here, I bet he'd just
laugh. Eating [filth]- it's your classic irony," indicating his
inability to fully process what has happened (O'Brien, 158). His
regret and remorse upon the discovery of Kiowa's body reinforce his
discomfort and provoke his guilt, as he claims, "Listen... [t]hose
dumb jokes- I didn't mean anything." (O'Brien, 168). After an attempt
is made to console him in his disbelief, Azar responds, "...when I saw
the guy, it made me feel- I don't know- like he was listening... I
felt sort of guilty almost, like if I'd kept my mouth shut none of it
would've ever happened. Like it was my fault." (O'Brien, 168). A
general lack of reverence and respect shown beforehand lead Azar to
believe he has done wrong to Kiowa, and that he has partial fault in
Kiowa's death as a result. The association between his feelings of
discomfort and of guilt/remorse toward the loss of Kiowa has brought
him into a position where no amount of joking can ease the pain- death
is death, and it must be treated as such (even in war), for there is
no return.

On Feb 24, 10:04 pm, Logan Torgerson <ltorger...@brvgs.k12.va.us>
wrote:

[Jonathan Jackowicz]

I have to agree partially with both Lakey and Logan. I believe Azar's
jokes were a way of his mind trying to block out the fact that one of
his friends was dead. He was making jokes as if someone had pulled a
prank and accidentally did it to themselves. His death was "pure world
class irony"(158). It wasn't until he saw the body that he seemed to
accept that one of his friends was dead and he grew more somber. "Azar

moved to the dike and sat holding his stomach. His face was

pale"(167). He went into a sick and depressed state and just sat
there.