SSRJ#2: Walker

• This story made me feel like the character was not at peace with his past and had buried his difficult experiences by not telling his wife, daughter what kind of  a person he was when he was in Nam. The element that stood out to me the most was the poetic verse the veteran recited when he was on the medical mission in Nam in peace time. That verse seemed to add a romanticism into the hardships of war specifically the Vietnam war.
• The Author, to me, was adding a sense of symbolism in the end of the the story. In the story the veteran stated that it felt good to heal/help people and kids with defects, cleft lip or scars. He felt like he was redeeming himself for his brutal past. However when the Veteran failed to replace Dinh's thumb, the veteran wished so hard that the operation would succeed. Ultimately this was a harsh reminder to him that no matter how much he tries to heal, with all his power, he will always be the man of his past. What really nailed this symbol was the ending when he leaves in the plane and he thinks to himself how dangerous Vietnam is and welcomes the risk because it makes him feel like the part of the land. The leans the reader to contradict the veterans suspected attempts to redeem himself.
• What is your interpretation of the ending after failed thumb operation on Dinh? Do you think there was some symbolism there tied with the ending Veteran Dr. was in the plane?