57 pages • 1 hour read
Tim O'BrienGoing After Cacciato
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1978A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Silver Star
Throughout the novel, Paul thinks of the Silver Star as the physical manifestation of bravery. Bernie Lynn wins it for going into the tunnel after Frenchie Tucker, but he has to die to do so. Still, Paul thinks about becoming brave in terms of finding the Silver Star within himself, and in the last chapter, he tries to repress his fear by imagining it as j a Silver Star that he can focus on. He imagines winning the Star and taking it home to show his father—proof that Paul was courageous.
The Sea
The sea is a symbol of hope and safety. In the chapter on Paul’s training, the corporal stares at the sea while he “gives his lecture” (sits silently) on surviving the war. Paul spends his hours at the imaginary observation post in a peaceful tower overlooking the sea. Attacks come from the land, rather than the sea, and the sea promises that there is something beyond the land where the soldiers are currently trapped. Water is traditionally a cleansing force, and here it can psychologically wash away some of the pain of battle.
The Quest
The portion of the novel in which they’re hunting Cacciato represents the classic quest motif, immortalized in famous stories such as The Wizard of Oz. A quest requires that the characters go on a journey to find something or someone—the trip to Paris to find Cacciato certainly qualifies. Characters on a quest typically encounter numerous obstacles as the soldiers do here.
Surrealism
Surrealism involves images and events that seem to merge dreams and reality. A surrealist thread runs throughout the novel, starting in the first chapter with Cacciato, who seems to fly away and continuing through to their arrival in Paris, where a gargoyle seems to fly off Notre Dame Cathedral. It appears even more strongly in moments such as their fall through the hole in the road.
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By Tim O'Brien
