Reading #5 Question 4

[Kelly Candeto]

In the chapter "Stockings," why do you feel that Henry Dobbins
insisted that the pantyhose he keeps wrapped around his neck still
retain their magic, even after his girlfriend breaks up with him?

[Jonathan Jackowicz]

Thats an excellent question Kelly. I believe he thinks that it still
protects him in a way. Those stockings protected him from bullets,
explosives, and deadly ambushes. After he read her letter I think he
felt the blow, but not as bad as he thought it would hurt him.
"Dobbins went quiet for a while, staring down at her letter, then
after a time he took out the stockings and tied them around his neck
as a comforter. 'No sweat,' he said. 'The magic doesn't go away.'
"(112). So he may have thought that the magic was in the stockings,
not her, so her leaving him didn't effect the stockings at all. They
still had their magic.

[Scott Cast]

Good point Jonathan, but I feel that the “magic” behind the pantyhose
is love. He feels like even if she dumped him the love that protected
him is still there he still loves her. The power of superstition is
irrefutable it can make meek men bold and week men strong its all
about the mental effect. “the stockings where a talisman for him. They
kept him safe (O’Brian 112).” This proves that they felt that it was a
force that controlled their everyday lives and that the pantyhose cant
just loose that force because of a simple breakup it’s a mighty force
in their minds.

> > retain their magic, even after his girlfriend breaks up with him?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Brianna]

This is an excellent question Kelly. I believe that Henry Dobbins kept
the panyhose around his neck for luck because any guy's girlfriend is
kind of their good luck. Even after they broke up they were still a
comforter because love protects all. He believes that no matter what
his love will keep him safe. When you have something for so long and
you are lucky in numerous situations, you start to believe that an
item is lucky. "No sweat he," he said. "The magic doesn't go
away." (O'Brien 112). He knows that no matter if him and his
girlfriend are together, she gave the pantyhose to him so they will
always be lucky no matter what.

[Austen Stevens]

A superb, thought-invoking question, Kelly. Although I do agree with
the premise stated above regarding the power of Dobbins' love for his
girlfriend providing the "magic", but I also feel that it is a sense
of security that he is given by these pantyhose- a connection back to
the real world, to home. Although he and his girlfriend may no longer
be together, the pantyhose represent that link back to home, to safety
and protection provided by relationships with others, and a sense of
belonging. Even the other soldiers in his platoon begin to believe
that the hose hold some sort of protective ability, as it is stated
that "Dobbins was invulnerable. Never wounded, never a scratch... It
turned us into a platoon of believers." (O'Brien 112). Dobbins'
continuance to trust in the good-luck talisman that the pantyhose
embody allow him to proceed through the hardest of trials, just
because of the sense of home they lend him. That sense of safety is
only found when one is in the midst of those with which one finds
utmost comfort. Although his ex-girlfriend is not in Vietnam, Dobbins
is still able to feel her presence, and that reassures him and allows
him to continue on.

[Raymond]

Henry Dobbins used his girlfriend's pantyhose as a belief of
superstition towards good luck. His belief in their being magic in the
pantyhose was because of his fear. He hoped that wearing them around
his neck would protect him, "They were like body armor, he though.
Whenver we saddled up for a late-night ambush, putting on our helmets
and flak jackets, Henry Dobbins would make a ritual out of arranging
the nylons around his neck," (112). I think Henry Dobbins feels that
the pantyhose still retain their magic because after so long of having
them as his good luck charm and security blanket, he really believed
that it was true. The fact that the pantyhose belong to his girlfriend
did not create the sense of magic. It was his small piece of his life
before the war that created a form of security for himself. When they
broke up, his piece of security from home remained his security, "No
sweat," he said "The magic doesn't go away," (112).

On Feb 8, 5:44 pm, Kelly Candeto <candet...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Meagan]

Good question, Kelly. I wondered about that after reading the chapter
as well. I especially agree with the points Austen made in his
response because I don't believe the stockings were a symbol of love
so much as they were simply a comforter and/or a tie back home. With
that said, I believe those are the reasons why Dobbins continued to
wear the pantyhose around his neck even after the breakup. For him,
the stockings possessed a powerful comfort that wasn't tainted by his
relationship status. After his girlfriend broke it off with him,
Dobbins still "...believed firmly and absolutely in the protective
power of the stockings. They were like body armor, he thought" (O'
Brien 112). I think if the stockings were only a symbol of love for
his girlfriend, he wouldn't have been able to bear keeping them after
the breakup. They had a deeper meaning to them; they represented home
and safety.

[Virginia]

That’s a really good question, Kelly. I was hoping someone would post
something pertaining to this chapter so I could see what everyone else
thought about the significance of the stockings. Through my
interpretation of the reading, I believe that the stockings had a
story that detailed Henry Dobbin’s life as a soldier. Upon Dobbin’s
first arrival in Vietnam, the stockings were used as a commemorative
from his girlfriend back at home. However, throughout his time spent
at Vietnam, they became more than just a sentimental object. In a
sense, they became a part of him. “He sometimes slept with the
stockings up against his face, the way an infant sleeps with a flannel
blanket, secure and peaceful” (O’Brien 111). He found solace in the
stockings, viewing them as more than just a good luck charm. They were
what kept him feeling sane.