Mike's review
Jarhead
by Anthony Swofford
Mike's review
Jarhead by Anthony Swofford
Mike's review
rating:
I read this after watching the film. It was also spurred on by a general interest in war writing/war narratives.
I found it very interesting, particularly since the range of characters, and their involvement in various episodes, seemed to have been slimmed down to allow for narrative ease on the screen. Indeed, the episode where the marine imitates the bugle did not even happen to Swofford. Nevertheless, this seemed to give a more nuanced view of the marine's perspective. Swofford, in his own voice, seems less the chained-up, testosterone-fuelled lout. In part, this is probably the inevitable consequence of his having grown up (I doubt he was as lucid as a 19 year old). Nevertheless, this marks him out as less of an everyman than the film would have us believe.
Regardless, I think this is a very interesting portrayal of the frustrations of the modern soldier - still effectively trained for the 'big show', by the time of the conflicts if the 1990s they're barely allowed to fire a ...more
I found it very interesting, particularly since the range of characters, and their involvement in various episodes, seemed to have been slimmed down to allow for narrative ease on the screen. Indeed, the episode where the marine imitates the bugle did not even happen to Swofford. Nevertheless, this seemed to give a more nuanced view of the marine's perspective. Swofford, in his own voice, seems less the chained-up, testosterone-fuelled lout. In part, this is probably the inevitable consequence of his having grown up (I doubt he was as lucid as a 19 year old). Nevertheless, this marks him out as less of an everyman than the film would have us believe.
Regardless, I think this is a very interesting portrayal of the frustrations of the modern soldier - still effectively trained for the 'big show', by the time of the conflicts if the 1990s they're barely allowed to fire a ...more