Going After Cacciato

After reading Going After Cacciato by Tim O’Briens, in some ways, Cacciato represents the Vietnam War. The novel begins with Cacciato leaving his squad in order to pursue his dream of Paris; therefore, his comrades must catch this deserter. Cacciato’s dream of Paris is similar to the American dream of freedom for South Vietnam during the war. As time passes, Cacciato moves further away from Vietnam and closer to Paris. Similarly, as the war progresses, the American people lost track of reality and Vietnam and continued to pursue the war for their dream. The war continued not on the behalf of the Vietnamese people but on the American dream. Furthermore, the number of people in the squad pursuing Cacciato diminishes as he continues to pursue Paris, hence the number of American supporting the American dream in Vietnam also diminished. In some cases, as the Vietnam War prolonged, the American people lost sight of the American dream as the squad has lost sight of Cacciato at various times in their journey.