Mary Anne Bell Analysis

This chapter in the novel describes the actions of Mary Anne Bell. Eddie diamond, a man that truly is after pleasure, one day is talking and makes a joke. He said that the area that they were in is so safe that they could even bring a girl and she would be fine. Mark Fossie, a young medic, mistakenly takes this joke a little too seriously. He writes a letter to Mary Anne Bell, his elementary school sweatheart. A few weeks later, she is flown in with some supplies. It is apparent that Mary is both curious and intelligent. She begins to pick up some of the Vietnam culture, learns how to cook, and learns how to become a medic. Suddenly, she becomes less feminine and cuts her hair. Eventually, she admits that she would like to stay in Vietnam. Next, she starts to disappear and comes back to the camp less and less frequently. The next time they find her, she is surrounded by dozens of candles, has the carcass of a leopard hanging from the wall, and is wearing a necklace of human tongues.
When Mary Anne Bell is first introduced to the readers in the book, she appears to be an innocent and loving figure. However, she quickly becomes “crazy”. I would not credit her developed behavior towards a physiological disorder. In fact, I think that Mary found her true self by living in Vietnam. Entering a distant land, Mary was given the opportunity to leave her family and society for a period of time. She experienced a great amount of freedom and was under little stress to conform to the standards she was previously accustomed to. Her transition began when she first started adopting the customs of the Vietnamese. Mary’s fast learning shows her interest in the culture of these people. Sometime in her experience, many realizations about her life undoubtedly went through her mind. She probably realized that the life she was introduced to made a lot of sense to her since she refused to go back home and desired to live in Vietnam. Mary accepted her new life style with open arms.