TARNISHED HEROES: FACES OF WAR IN AMERICAN FICTION

Abstract

Phil Klay is one of many American war veterans to mould their war experience into works of literature. In his first story collection, Redeployment(first published in 2014),Klayemploysfirst person narrators with diverse backgrounds and occupations to provide multifaceted perspectives and insights into war. This study examinesservice membersin these stories within the context of the 2001 War in Afghanistan and 2003 War in Iraq and their behaviour in terms of heroism/post-heroism. Post-heroism declares the decline of heroic mindset in present wars since soldiers are less concerned with the grandeur of achievements and more obsessed with their own survival. This paper investigates two aspects of the collection’s representation of war, specifically, soldiers’ emotionaland psychological interaction with lethal experiences in and after war in addition to impetus behind soldiers’ involvement in the military.Even though Klay’s stories are abundant with combat scenes, characters are preoccupied with the appalling reality ofwar rather than grandeur of valour. War is framed within conflicting sensitivities and motivations through twelve narratorswhich reflect a rather gloomy perspective.