Men as animals
The narrator often describes white men in an animalistic way, pointing out their fetishism for Asian women or the way they exploit their authority over women with little money or power. This, in many ways, parallels the relationship between the United States and Vietnam. He describes his boss, who has a much younger Asian wife, as "thrusting his head forward in the inquisitorial fashion of a dragon," and describes one Army general who patronizes Vietnamese sex workers as a "slab of beefcake on two legs with a white marine's cap perched on top."
The color red
Red, the color of communism and revolution, grows increasingly more nefarious as the novel proceeds. Blood frequently colors clothing and other items as the narrator becomes more involved in killing. He also reveals the red envelope he was denied as a child by his relatives because of his western father.
Deformed faces
As the narrator continues to lose sight of his true identity and beliefs, more deformed faces appear throughout the novel. The two men he killed appear to him as ghosts with their faces mangled by bullet holes. When he finally finds his friend Man again, his face is completely deformed by napalm. The narrator describes himself as wearing a mask. The war physically destroys their faces, and also perverts their selves and identities.
Letter-writing
The narrator increasingly turns to letter writing as he becomes more confused about his identity and allegiances. He constantly writes letters to Man with one message in visible ink written from a soldier's perspective and one in invisible ink to communicate his spy intelligence. Once he is imprisoned, he is forced to spend a year writing a confession. He says the one thing there is no shortage of in Vietnam is paper, as everyone is forced to write confessions. Imagery of writing becomes tied to the concept of dual and manufactured identities.
