He has grown up poor and joined the army because every soldier starts out on equal footing. He is also African American and is from the South Side of Chicago. Harold "Peewee" Gates quickly becomes Perry's best friend in Alpha Company. Myers loosely based all of the characters in Fallen Angels on his own experience as a young soldier in Vietnam. Most importantly, Perry realizes the importance of human connection and family. He forms a tight bond with the other members of his squad, especially Peewee, and earns two Purple Hearts for being twice injured in the line of duty. However, Perry's time at war changes him. Perry is a contemplative soldier, often analyzing his decision to go into war in the first place and questioning the moral reasoning behind the American presence in Vietnam. Due to a clerical error, though, he finds himself on a plane to Vietnam in 1967 - the height of the Vietnam War. Perry is a skilled basketball player but sustains a crippling knee injury during his army training. He joins the army as a way to give structure and meaning to his life, leaving behind his younger brother, Kenny, and their single mother. His grades were good enough to attend City College, but he could not afford to go. Perry once harbored dreams of being a writer like James Baldwin. He is a 17-year-old African American man from Harlem who has enrolled in the army right after finishing high school. Richard "Richie" Perry is the novel’s protagonist and narrator.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |