Just joking
A motif found in the novel is the idea that the soldiers in the war cope with the horrors and the trauma they have to go through by joking. No matter how dire the situation is, they always find a way to get past it and they always try to find something positive and funny to try and remain sane.
Symbol for peace
A place mentioned frequently in the novel is Paris, the place where Cacciato wanted to arrive. The soldiers who went after him also talked frequently about Paris and about what is stands for. Paris is most commonly associated in history with peace treaties signed to end the war. Thus, for many, Paris became a symbol for peace. The act of going to Paris thus symbolizes the process a person has to go through to achieve the happiness associated with peace.
Giving up on war
In the squad sent after Cacciato, someone always had to carry and care after the big gun. The person who cared for the gun in the beginning was Harold Murphy who however gave up on carrying the gun after the lieutenant died. When Murphy threw down the gun, he gave up on war in a symbolic manner and then he went on to search for happiness in other places.
Symbol for greateness
Berlin fantasizes of wining numerous medals during the war and then going home to his father one day and showing them to his father. The medals are more than just pieces of metal for Berlin as they symbolize honor and greatness and he one day hopes to go to his father drenched in glory one day and become a man in his father’s eyes.
Tunnels
Another motif in the novel is the presence of tunnels in Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese soldiers build a complex system of tunnels underground. Because of these tunnels, many American soldiers lost their lives. But the tunnels also have a symbolic meaning as they are a common symbol in various works of fiction. Here, the tunnels symbolize the depth of a person’s subconscious and many have to navigate through those tunnels to reach maturity.
