Emily Hughes
October 20/24, 2014
I found that Mark’s Vietnam monologue in “Still Life” offered the most powerful voice from the three readings. The raw and vivid nature of the character’s voice seems to come from the reality of his situation. A lot of this seemed originate from Emily Mann’s interview with a real Vietnam vet, but most of the monologue’s strength comes from Mann’s use of understatement.
When the speaker addresses the horrors he faced in war, he does not offer any detail beyond the truth of his experience. Phrases like “I killed them with a pistol in front of a lot of people” and “I killed three children, a mother and father in cold blood” allow the graphic nature of the situation to speak for itself. This choice of language also gives a more accurate impression of the narrator’s shell shocked memory; the horror of his violent past does not allow Mark to openly describe his own experiences.
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