Mary Anne's Character

I would honestly like to believe that Mary Anne is not a fictional character. While the possibility of journeying to Vietnam is seemingly impossible, O'Brien writes this compelling story in a way that makes the reader wonder, what is the real truth? In essence, the entirety of his book has the reader ask him or herself what is the truth? Mary Anne's bravery and spontaneous desire for fighting in war are what convinces me that she is a real character. I want to believe that a woman could accomplish fighting a war and showing other men that she is not afraid to cut her hair and cover her body in black ash. While I may question the route at which she reached her boyfriend, I entirely believe that the war took her in and taught her lessons that most if not all women at that time never had the opportunity to achieve. I find it extremely interesting the transformation that occurred, from a woman dressing in all pink and white with a bubbly personality to a woman who is in her army uniform, and laughing only at the things she truly finds funny. Mary Anne's character to me is one that shows me the true effects of war and how it has this unique ability to change a person forever. I believe that this is the change that Mary Anne was waiting for in her life, as a woman during this time was supposed to merely send love notes to her husband or boyfriend fighting in war. Her character breaks barriers that were not seen during this time. Her character shows ambition and determination that she does not need to live under the wing of her boyfriend, she can fight on her own and moreover be on her own. For this reason, I would have to say she is my favorite character.