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Introduction
The Naked and the Dead is a novel written by Norman Mailer in 1948. The story narrates the conflict between Americans and the Japanese that took place on the fictional island named Anapopei during World War II. The real events of the island invasion are described in the book through the vision and thoughts of the main characters. It is also based on the real experience of the author during his service as a cook when the Philippines Campaign was happening. The novel is about a platoon that included fourteen people and describes their lives, identities, cultural differences, and relationships at the time of war.
Main body
The story was first published after the war ended in 1948, and narrates about real events of the Second World War (Maiter 28). The novel consists of four parts, where each of them raises the important social and historical problems of that time. The first part is called Wave, where all the characters are introduced to the reader as the naval bombardment is happening, and all the men go to the invasion shore to attack the Japanese (Maiter 68). The key figure in this chapter is Hennessey, who is a frightened young soldier terrified of killing and being hurt (Maiter 68). This part of the book reflects the reality of the event during the Philippines Campaign. The Wave ends with the death of Hennessey, which was the first death of the troop and had a crucial effect on his comrades. In this chapter, the author shows that the historical chronology of events does not reflect the spirit of the war; it also does not let people understand what soldiers experience when they are fighting against the enemy and are trying to survive (Maiter 52). Moreover, the fact that the first part of the novel ends with one of the main characters passing away reflects the situation of that time and those circumstances of the war.
Books on history do not fully express the spirit of the time and place. The author tells the readers that people who were driven to the platoon, the same as to any other place of war actions, belonged to various cultures, races, and had many differences in their opinions (Maiter 57). They were often arguing, but the common aim united them to fight against Nazism. They did not only battle against the enemy, but they were driven by the will to survive and, more importantly, live in the free world.
The second part is named Argil and Mold, and it is about the troop taking a Japanese soldier as a prisoner. The narration is developed in the manner of discussion between General Cummings and Lieutenants Hearn (Maiter 140). While talking about life and death, good and evil, soldiers try to find out vital information from the Japanese soldier. When Gallagher gives the Japanese a cigarette, Croft kills him with one shot. These characters represent society during World War II, where some people took a moment to enjoy a conversation with a friend and talk about possibilities and life. Some people, like Gallagher, showed compassion to an enemy, shared what they had, in the same way as Gallagher shared a cigarette (Maiter 140). The Japanese soldier represents that part of the society that enjoyed little moments realizing that it is not going to last, and they would probably die soon. General Cummings, Lieutenant Hearn, Gallagher, and the Japanese soldier reflect the humanity in the society during the war (Maiter 140). However, Craft represents people with coldblooded personalities, but they also were essential to the times of war since they did things that other people were not capable of, such as killing an enemy.
The third part is called Plant and Phantom, and it describes how the American troop was sent to the Mountain Anaka to find and destroy the Japanese troops. During the event, some of their comrades died; however, in the end, the battle for the island was won. This chapter represents real events of the Philippines Campaign that the author participated in (Khallaf 828). Mailer attempted not only to show the historical accuracy of the events but also to reflect the real struggle that soldiers experienced (Maiter 248). To understand the actual circumstances of World War II, it is essential to follow the chronology of the events, as well as to know how soldiers were struggling, how they reacted to the loss of their comrades, and most importantly what they felt when the victory finally came. The writer describes these episodes in such a manner that readers can experience it in the same way that the author did.
The last part of the book, called Wake, is the shortest one, and it narrates about General Cummings being disappointed that the victory was too easy. This part reflects the personalities of people like Cummings, whose priority was not to save lives and fight against the enemy, but rather to receive credit for doing it (Maiter 350). This part represents the social mood after the war was over, when many people were not satisfied with the outcome because it was not beneficial to them.
In terms of the historical accuracy of time and place, according to the author, the story narrates about the Leyte Island in the Philippines, where Mailer’s battalion was sent during the Philipines Campaign in 1944 (Bell 34). The events described in the book were a reflection of the real situation that happened to the writer and his comrades during the war. American forces successfully invaded the island that was occupied by the Japanese army, which is known as the Battle of Leyte (Bell 35). The outcome of this event helped American troops to take full control over the Philippine Archipelago and counterstrike the Japanese imperial army, and resulted in drawing them away to the Japanese islands.
Only some events, including the invasion of the island, were described in the book. However, most of the situations that happened to the characters should not be analyzed as real facts, but rather discussed from the social point of view. The author focused on the reflection of circumstances on people’s visions and reactions (Khallaf 828). He attempted to show how real identities, that were hidden and dictated by social rules, came out during critical times. The author used historical events to describe how soldiers were fighting not only for their lives at that moment but for the future of their families, and many other people who suffered from the war.
Moreover, the way Mailer wrote the book, which is the dialogs about different essential topics between characters and their discussions about the good and the bad, was also typical for the time and the situation described in the story (Khallaf 828). It was usual for people, especially for soldiers, to bring up philosophical topics that were irrelevant to the circumstances. Mailer, in his books, narrates themes that were crucial for that time. For example, he gives soldiers faces and voices, makes them real people with lives and families. During the war, society faced the crucial problem of the dehumanization of soldiers (Khallaf 828). They existed only in numbers and lists of victims. However, the author, in his book, shows that they were more than names in the military. After publishing the book, many people realized that World War II was much more severe and it had a huge impact on the lives of many people, not only civil but people in the front lines as well.
Conclusion
The writer attempts to present how loneliness, selflessness, death, fear, and brotherhood coexisted in a small society with no way out. Soldiers on that ship during the war could not leave it or run away from it; they could only wait to live or die. It influenced them to a great extent where they realized they could no longer control their lives, but rather it was dictated by destiny. Therefore, the story The Naked and the Dead clearly reflects the circumstances that soldiers experienced during those dark times and lets people see that experience.
References
Bell, Walter F. The Philippines in World War II, 1941-1945: A Chronology and Select Annotated Bibliography of Books and Articles in English. Greenwood Press, 1999.
Khallaf, Muhammad. “Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead as a Novel of Manners.” Journal of English Language and Literature, vol. 9, no. 2, 2018, p. 828., doi:10.17722/jell.v9i2.327.
Maiter, Norman. The Naked and the Dead. Grafton, 1987.
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