Summary
One afternoon, the platoon comes across an abandoned pagoda that
seems to function as a church. Every day during the men's stay there,
which lasts more than a week, two monks bring them water and other
goods. One day, while the monks clean and oil Dobbins's M-60 machine
gun, Dobbins says that though he isn't a religious man and wouldn't
enjoy taking part in the sermons, he might like to join the church
because he would enjoy interacting with people. Kiowa says that
although he carries a Bible everywhere because he was raised to,
he wouldn't enjoy being a preacher. He does say, though, that he
enjoys being in a church. When the monks finish cleaning the gun,
Dobbins wipes off the excess oil and hands them each a can of peaches
and a chocolate bar. Making a washing motion with his hands, he
says that all one can do is be nice to them.
Analysis
The abandoned pagoda in this story is a microcosm of American-Vietnamese
relations. Dobbins and Kiowa's questioning of their presence in
this makeshift church stands in for Americans' questioning of their
army's presence in Vietnam. When the soldiers happen upon the church,
they discover that it is occupied by well-intentioned monks who
welcome them by offering favors. The irony in the story is that
frequently during the Vietnam War, American soldiers committed atrocities
against innocent civilians. Dobbins's comment that “[a]ll you can
do is be nice” is made ironic by his gesture of washing his hands.
Although this action can be construed as a sign of respect for the
monks, who have called Dobbins “Good soldier Jesus,” it also alludes
to the New Testament account of Pontius Pilate's symbolic washing
of his hands after Jesus Christ was sentenced to be crucified. Keeping
with the church-as-Vietnam symbolism, the monks perhaps do not know
what sort of destruction the American soldiers might inflict.
In “Church,” O'Brien uses Kiowa as a foil—a character
whose actions or emotions contrast with and thereby accentuate those
of another character—for Dobbins. Kiowa's Native American thoughtfulness
contrasts with Henry Dobbins's sweeping American ambition. While
Kiowa is the more religious of the two men, he can't conceive of
wanting to take a leadership role in church. For him, religion is
as close to his heart as the New Testament he carries with him through
the jungles of Vietnam. He says he can't imagine wanting to preach
because for him, unlike Dobbins, religion is not about demonstration
or even about participation—it is about inward reflection and the
power of belief.
Although both Dobbins and Kiowa agree that setting up
camp inside a church is wrong, the two men are trapped by the inevitability
of their situations. Dobbins tries to improve the situation by giving
the monks a tin of peaches and some chocolate—this small gesture
lends a touch of humanity to offset the impersonal and selfish invasion
of the monks' place of worship. Similarly, later, in the story “Style,”
Dobbins admonishes Azar for poking fun at a Vietnamese girl's suffering.
Perhaps believing that his presence in the war is wrong, he operates
under the belief that the one small thing he might do in this impossible
situation is to “be nice” to those who deserve no harm.
