Structure

Ninh's structure of this novel is that even though he doesn't put divide this book in chapters, when there is a start of a story and when it ends, there's a big space before and below it to indicate that there is a new story. I like how he does this. It makes this novel very unique because this is the very first book that I've seen this. Other structure that Ninh put in this novel is not Kien's stories but other soldiers' stories. This whole novel isn't just talking about Kien's struggles through the war but about others also.

This information can be helpful in the reading of The Sorrow of War because it makes the reader know that this is how he divides the novel into chapters; by writing short stories. It is also helpful because myself and other classmates has talked about this structure in this novel!

SETTING

Crocodile River is a river on the north of South Africa. But, there's also a Crocodile River in the northeast of South Africa, border river to the south of Kruger National Park. Sa Thay River and the Jungle of Screaming Souls is probably a made up river and jungle because with my resources, I couldn't find any information about these two places.
Ngoc Linh Mountain 2,598-metre high in Vietnam. It is considered "the roof of Viet Nam". "After 30 years, a wild root growing inconspicuously on Ngoc Linh Mountain has become famous not only in Vietnam but also foreign countries," says Dr. Dao Kim Long who is the discover of the Vietnamese ginseng.
Yes, Leprosy Village really did exists. I think it really exists everywhere since leprosy is a disease. Leprosy is a chronic disease caused by a bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae. Leprosy is not highly infectious, it is transmitted via droplets, from the nose and mouth, during close and frequent contacts with untreated cases. There was a leprosy village in the east east of Ho Chi Minh City. Today, the village is home to 359 people, including 120 children. Not everyone living in the village is infected with leprosy, but if one family member contracts the disease, societal stigma and ignorance force the entire family to move into the community.
The Central Highlands run through the middle of Central America. They are also a part of a circle of volcanoes known as the Pacific Ring of Fire that runs through Japan and New Zealand.

The Jungle of Cong Ho Rinh is like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie. Its a very creepy village where you can see human bones, broken weapons, and other war materials, that lies on the ruined, flat ground like garbage. Cong Ho Rinh was once a beautiful place like little Dien Binh Village. When I first saw it, it was a pretty scene along the Dac Po Xi river.


quote: "But life would not let go of him that easily." (page 121)