Controversial Themes In Fallen Angels By Walter Dean Myers

The terrors of the Vietnam War has always frightened the people into hiding. Afraid of facing death in the eye or having your friend die in your arms. But what if there was more to the war then meets the eye? What if you were your own worst enemy? In the novel, Fallen Angels, Walter Dean Myers uses both the setting and time period to explore controversial topics. He explains how the time period affected the protagonist, Richie Perry, by individualizing him from the rest of the group due to his skin color. He has to overcome the fear of being alone by relying on his best friends to always have his back no matter what the consequence is. The setting of the war affected the development of the characters by explaining the racial tensions between …show more content…
Throughout the novel, Perry was feeling lonely due to the fact that he had no one to write to besides his mother and brother. He begins to wish he had done more in order to obtain a romantic relationship before he left so he wouldn't have to feel envy when the mail came for others. Although he loved his mother, they had always had a complicated relationship making them unable to say I love you to each other. “Having people care about you was probably the only thing that made any of it right” (200), he means that if you don't have anyone worth fighting for then what's the point of risking your life everyday. Most soldiers come into the war for a purpose. A purpose to prove themselves to the world or a purpose to keep the country they love so much free. However, Perry was missing his purpose until he meet his friends, mostly Peewee. He fought in order to keep his best friends alive. The author is trying to explain that without the friendship of his squad Perry would have not survived the blood thirsty war. Not having much at home forced Perry to rely on his friends, which taught him to always have their backs even if it meant putting his own life in danger. This is important, because many soldiers go through this today. They feel like they have nothing left in the real world and chose to join a military branch. There they meet new people who will soon become …show more content…
But we never think about the aftermath the war has on our soldiers; the anxiety and fear of coming to the world they once left behind. The war was most difficult for African American soldiers, because they had to deal with racism even when they were defending our country. They had to encounter racist comments from the members of the barracks and from the commanding officers. However, as the war developed the men started to realized that it was better work as a team rather than work as an individual. They realized that they couldn't win the war without the support and guidance from each other. Although the war was won, the innocence of the soldiers were killed in action. The innocence of the young teenagers were left behind when they were forced to kill, slowly turning them into savages. Surrounded by sadness of death the men were forced to become mature at a faster rate than expected. They entered the war as young hopeful children and left as mature men with the brutal reality of life. The modern times have made drastic changes like adding women to the people who can join the military. Showing that the United States is willing to accept every type of person for who they are and showing other countries that we are united. Therefore, Meyer uses the setting and time period to elaborate the horrific realities of war and