Why Are We in Vietnam?

The critical acclaim for Mailer's work was unanimous and unqualified - 'Norman Mailer is a writer of extraordinary ability' or 'a tour de force, a treatise on human nature'. I think one could forgive Hume if he were turning in his grave at the comparison, however. For, as fluid as Mailer's writing is and as consistent as the stylisation is, i doubt very much that we ought to ascribe the term genius to the insights carried in this piece of literature. Not to say even that Mailer is not a genius, i would not consider myself qualified to make such judgement as that.But here is the line that, i surmise, encompasses Mailer's central point: "So, ass-head America contemplate your butt". The main character is called DJ, the "Disc Jockey to America". Subtlety is not the key here.... Mailer has made a simple observation and that is, put simply, that darker currents run beneath simple outward signs of problems. This is no more or less an observation than that made by Golding in Lord of the Flies - at our most base we are savage, perhaps even something more sinister. This is also no different, or blessed of greater insight, than the observation that Mailer makes of his own work in the preface to this edition. I would suggest, therefore, that the central thesis is not worthy of the great praise heaped upon it. On the other hand, sometimes great writing, great imagery, a great turn of phrase can be set free of the greater concept and i believe Mailer achieves just that. At times the descriptions of the animals and the scenery verge on the poetic and, beyond that, the visceral edge to the language is almost sufficient to knock you off your feet, so great is its punch. I want to give this 5*'s for the style and for the natural quality of the written word and 1 or 2*'s for the insight or 'shattering social commentary' (as one short-sighted hack put it). In my opinion the writing shimmers so brightly that it overcompensates the shortcomings and 4*'s is a fair reflection. More importantly i would recommend this to anyone whether i were to label it with 1 or 5*'s, because it is at times chokingly funny and at times quite moving. If foul language bothers you and you do not think you can look through it, then i suggest staying away.If you love the style of a Bukowski, or even the kind of gritty style that Knut Hamsun employs then by all means take a look at this.

Two boys in their older teens, nicknamed D.J. and Tex, go with their corporate executive fathers on a hunting trip to Alaska. They all hope to carry home the heads of bears and other animals as trophies. Both boys, who are close friends, live in the lap of luxury with their families in Texas. Their excursion becomes a last fling before they enter the real world of adulthood and the horrible realities of Vietnam of the mid to late 1960s. The wooded environment into which they enter not only mesmerizes the boys, but proves to be as shocking as a pitcher of icy cold water being splashed in their faces. While in Alaska they experience nature, in all its beauty, grandeur, and horror. In part of their hunting trip they fly over the terrain in a helicopter; other times they walk carrying no weapons at all. Mailer also delves, often scurrilously I might add, into the adults' past sexual adventures with women, much of it probably fantasy and male braggadoccio. While there are some lulls in the beginning of the book, the action eventually starts to build and build and build until a crescendo is reached. In the wild, they discover, it is kill or be killed; it is the survival of the fittest. D.J. and Tex become caught up in this and D.J., especially, sees their relationship, fleetingly, in a sexually predatory way. While becoming immersed in this whirlwind of a novel, I thought of the "The Deerhunter," a powerful film also addressing the issues of macho behavior against the backdrop of the War in Vietnam. Norman Mailer's novel, as good as it is, confirms many of my worst beliefs about male hubris, love of violence, and war.

When I got back from Vietnam in 1970, I sought out every voice I could find that might answer, for me, the question in the title.And while it's important to know the politics and history and economics and all that jazz, I think the Final Key to understanding America's worst self-inflicted wound might be in this book.This kid, D.J., belongs on the same shelf as Scout and Jeb in "Mockingbird" and Holden Caulfield in "Catcher" and Benjamin in "The Graduate", and that anonymous American Hero in "Red Badge of Courage."They all say that our children have something important to teach us.

Really this novel should be called "Why We Are in Vietnam", because after reading this work, the answer to Mailer's original question is plain to see. His best work, and for once not overly-long! A good book to show you just how powerful good writing can be.

Two raunchy, young Texans go to Alaska with their fathers to hunt bighorn sheep from a helicopter. Vietnam is mentioned in the last two sentences of the novel. If you can't figure out the relationship, you probably think that John Wayne was a great American hero ... In a way, it's a pity that Mailer tied this story so closely to a specific war, because the book is powerfully relevant to Americans' view of themselves in many other historical contexts. But it's not a dull dissertation; it's entertaining, lively, and often hilarious. Still very much worth reading.