Going After Cacciato

Going After Cacciato: a Novel by Tim O'Brien

Going After Cacciato was first published by Delacorte Press in 1978. It won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1979. Going After Cacciato has been referred to as both a war novel and an anti-war novel, as it is about a soldier going AWOL, deserting his fellow soldiers to escape the war. Undoubtedly, though, Going After Cacciato is a psychological thriller. It dives into the inner mind and trauma of the protagonist, Paul Berlin, while readers read on anxiously to see what happens to Cacciato.

Going After Cacciato is about a soldier going AWOL and deserting the war, pixabay

Tim O'Brien was born in 1946 and never planned on joining the army. He was drafted into the Vietnam War, which he was opposed to, in 1968. O'Brien briefly considered going AWOL and fleeing to Canada, but he stayed to fight for his country. Like Berlin and Cacciato, O'Brien was assigned to the 198th Infantry Brigade. In real life, this brigade was responsible for the My Lai Massacre the year before O'Brien was drafted. O'Brien has been called America's "poet laureate of war," but he firmly believes that war is not always necessary. He hopes that more people realize the impact of war through his writing.

Going After Cacciato Characters

The main characters are almost all soldiers in the 198th Infantry Brigade. They are all haunted in some way by the war, and they each respond to the stress of tracking down Cacciato in different ways.

Paul Berlin

Paul Berlin is the protagonist of Going After Cacciato. He is young and inexperienced; throughout the novel, he struggles with his involvement in the war. At the end of the novel, it is revealed that he never actually chased Cacciato to Paris. Instead, he created the entire alternate storyline as a way to cope with the horrors of war. It is implied that Berlin actually shot Cacciato when Cacciato first deserted.

Cacciato

Cacciato is the titular character of the novel. He is young and simple, and it is implied by the other soldiers that he is mentally disabled. Cacciato decides to leave the army and journey to Paris after the other soldiers murder their Lieutenant, Sidney Martin. It is Cacciato's desertion that takes up the bulk of the novel. The other soldiers hunt him down, partly to keep their crimes a secret. At the end of the novel, it is revealed that Cacciato's entire trip to Paris was a figment of Berlin's imagination, and he either escaped and will likely never make it to Paris or he was shot by Berlin.

Lieutenant Corson

Lieutenant Corson is the commander of the battalion. He is depicted as an older officer, who is weak and sometimes senile. Corson is Lieutenant Sidney Martin's replacement, and though Corson is officially in charge, he yields to the younger soldiers. Corson gives the orders that they should pursue Cacciato. He is more interested in the women than he is in finding Cacciato, which he thinks is futile. At the end of the novel, in reality, Corson lies and says that Cacciato is missing in action to protect his soldiers, especially Berlin, from the truth.

Oscar Johnson

An experienced soldier who has survived nine tours in Vietnam, Oscar Johnson takes over Corson's responsibilities as the unofficial leader of the soldiers. He was the first to propose murdering Lieutenant Sidney Martin and one of the strongest supporters of following Cacciato to Paris.

Lieutenant Sidney Martin

The original commanding officer of Berlin's squad, Lieutenant Sidney Martin is responsible for the deaths of several soldiers. He demands that the soldiers go into the tunnels and clear them before throwing grenades inside of them. When the American soldiers come face to face with Viet Cong soldiers, several members of Berlin's squad are killed. The soldiers reason that they would be safer with another lieutenant and they discuss murdering Martin. His death at the soldiers' hands is never explicitly stated, but he is replaced by Corson.

Sarkin Aung Wan

A figment of Berlin's imagination, Sarkin Aung Wan is a refugee from Saigon. She is traveling with her aunts to escape the war and quickly joins forces with the soldiers. She works as a translator and saves them from an extensive network of underground tunnels. Although Sarkin and Berlin flirt for most of the novel, it is implied that she is merely using her sexuality to aid in her survival. She runs off with Corson in Paris.

Stink Harris

Stink Harris is one of the soldiers that accompanies Berlin as they track down Cacciato. The war has made him cruel and violent, and he makes jokes about murdering women and children. He eventually jumps off a boat and is never seen again.

Harold Murphy

A soldier in Berlin's squad, Harold Murphy refuses to chase Cacciato. He stays behind, believing it is stupid to endanger his own life for one deserter.

Going After Cacciato Summary

Going After Cacciato is narrated by Paul Berlin, a young, inexperienced soldier who is conflicted by his role in the Vietnam War. The story flashes back and forth between several different timelines, including the past and present, as well as two imaginary timelines that Berlin creates to help him cope with the war.

Berlin remembers his traumatic past experiences in the war. He witnessed the death of several soldiers in his squad when his commanding officer, Lieutenant Sidney Martin, sent them to their deaths in the tunnels. Berlin also remembers the soldiers agreeing that they needed to kill the lieutenant in order to save themselves. Martin has since been replaced with Lieutenant Corson, the current commanding officer of Berlin's squad.

In the present, it is 1968, and the war is ongoing. Cacciato, a soldier in Berlin's squad, goes AWOL and deserts the army. He told Berlin he was planning on walking from where they were stationed in Vietnam to Paris. Berlin and some of the other soldiers decide to chase after Cacciato.

Cacciato decides to travel from Vietnam to Paris in order to escape the war, pixabay

The novel also has several chapters entitled "The Observation Post," in which Berlin reflects on his memories in a watch tower by the sea. These chapters are supposedly set several months after the soldiers return from capturing Cacciato. They allow Berlin to dive deeply into his memories and feelings in a peaceful setting, not dominated by the threat of war. At the end of the novel, however, the readers discover that the observation post is a myth and that there really isn't such an easy, peaceful duty in Vietnam.

In the timeline that dominates the novel, revealed to be a figment of Berlin's imagination, Cacciato escapes their initial attempt to capture him and flees to the Middle East. Some of the soldiers turn back, but Corson commands the rest to track down Cacciato. The soldiers encounter a young refugee woman, Sarkin Aung Wan, fleeing the country. She works as their translator and helps them get out of a network of underground tunnels they fall into.

The men go from city to city, chasing Cacciato, who constantly evades them. Sarkin and Berlin make plans to run away to Paris together and get an apartment. He considers his role in the war and thinks that it may just be easier to desert. They continue after Cacciato. The squad evades the police and successfully breaks out of prison right before they are to be executed for illegally traveling into Iran. The group decides that the only way to save themselves is to get Cacciato—presumably as a corpse. Eventually, they track Cacciato to a hotel room. Sarkin runs off with Corson, and Berlin charges into Cacciato's dark hotel room, firing several shots into the dark room.

Back in reality, it is still 1968. Lieutenant Corson has lied and said that Cacciato is missing in action, but it is implied that Berlin actually shot and killed his fellow soldier. Other interpretations state that Cacciato evaded the bullets but will never make it to Paris alive. The story ends with Corson and Berlin reflecting that it is possible (however unlikely) for Cacciato to make it to Paris.

Going After Cacciato Analysis

Going After Cacciato has been considered both a war novel and an anti-war novel. It deeply examines the Vietnam War's psychological impact on young soldiers and why someone might defect. Although it is a fictional story, its foundation is deeply rooted in the violent history of the Vietnam War.

The novel, set from a third-person limited point of view, follows the protagonist Berlin as he makes sense of his past, present, and future as a soldier. The limited point of view showcases how alone his trauma has made him feel. It also reinforces the theme of self-preservation as every man, including the young and generally kind Berlin, fights to keep himself alive.

The narration style in Going After Cacciato varies greatly from the traditional chronological order. Instead, the novel switches back and forth from various timelines. Berlin reflects on his past as well as the actions of his present. He makes up alternate timelines to cope with the trauma of what he was forced to do in order to survive. The other timelines are hopeful but unattainable. Berlin will likely never escape from the things he's done and he will be haunted by the war, long after it is over.

The novel is also full of symbols. Paris, for example, is Cacciato's objective location. It symbolizes life outside of the war, free from violence and the chaos of warfare. Ultimately, Paris is merely a pipe dream, as neither Cacciato nor Berlin ever make it there.

Sarkin is a symbol of family life and happiness. She tells Berlin to give in to the dream of being with her and desert the army. He is unable to fully commit to her, so she runs away with Corson. As long as Berlin allows the war to control his life, he will never be able to fully share his life with another individual, such as a wife.

Going After Cacciato Themes

The major themes are the chaos and trauma of war, self-preservation and survival, and fantasy and storytelling.

The Chaos and Trauma of War

It is impossible to forget the Vietnam War is the background of the novel because the chaos and trauma of war follow the characters everywhere they go. Berlin experiences trauma in June 1968, almost as soon as he joins the army. He sees several of his fellow soldiers die horrific deaths when Lieutenant Sidney Martin has the soldiers clear the Vietcong tunnels before allowing them to throw grenades inside. Berlin watches as one soldier dies a slow and painful death after being shot, and another dies after trying to save him. Berlin also remembers one of his friends dying from a heart attack after his feet were blown off by a land mine. It is all of this trauma and chaos that leads the soldiers to revolt again Martin.

Fearing for their lives in the face of Martin's arrogance, the soldiers decide they need to eliminate Lieutenant Martin. They pass a grenade around, which everyone touches to show their support in the murder of their officer. Cacciato is the last person to touch it, and it is suggested he didn't know what he was agreeing to. Although Martin's murder is never explicitly stated, it is heavily implied. Cacciato plans to run away from the army to avoid witnessing any more trauma. It is implied that Cacciato dies in this chaos.

Self-Preservation and Survival

The alternate storylines are more about self-preservation than they are about rescuing Cacciato. One of the primary reasons the soldiers chase after Cacciato in the first place is so he will not tell anyone what they did to Lieutenant Martin. The story progresses as the soldiers follow Cacciato from city to city. They become increasingly desperate to catch Cacciato and keep themselves safe.

Towards the end of the Paris storyline, the soldiers decide they must kill Cacciato to save themselves from jail. They had been traveling through countries illegally, and they believed that having Cacciato's corpse would prove that they were following the Geneva Conventions and returning a deserter. They hunt Cacciato down and trap him in his hotel room. It is suggested that Berlin kills Cacciato as he is firing shots into the room. Although Berlin was his friend, he was more concerned with protecting his own life.

Berlin shoots at Cacciato in an act of self-preservation, pixabay

Sarkin is also a character-focused solely on self-preservation. She flirts with both Berlin and Corson, leading them on to guarantee herself some safety. Berlin is shocked when she runs away with the much older Corson, but Sarkin's relationship with the men was based on saving herself, not romantic feelings.

Fantasy and Storytelling

The need for fantasy and storytelling is apparent in Berlin's alternate storylines. At the end of the novel, it is revealed that Cacciato never actually made it to Paris. And he likely never will. It is heavily implied that he is dead and that his dream of going to Paris was futile. Telling stories helps Berlin avoid the horrors of war. He tells the story of Paris to imagine a better world where soldiers could escape the reaches of war.

It turns out that the observation post is also a myth among the soldiers. It signifies a place of peace and safety, where soldiers can fulfill their duty without witnessing the brutality of war. But this place is a fantasy that is not strong enough to overcome the reality of warfare.

Going After Cacciato Quotes

The major quotes speak to the themes in the novel. They also reveal some of the central conflict. As he's trying to make sense of the war, the imaginary Li Van Hgoc (the ex-Vietcong soldier who lives in the tunnel system) tells Berlin:

Berlin, of course, made up the entire expedition to Paris. Li Can Hgoc is a figment of Berlin's imagination that helps him to work through his conflicting thoughts, feelings, and identity as a soldier. Hgoc tells Berlin to look at things from a new perspective. That is precisely what Berlin attempts to do in his storytelling. Because he struggles to accept reality, looking at things from different angles helps him to cope with his role in the war.

His storytelling can only get him so far. The narrator imagines Berlin arguing over the merit of capturing Cacciato. This Berlin states,

Berlin argues that he has an obligation to hunt down Cacciato and fulfill his duty to the army, America, and himself. His identity is defined by these obligations. The things that he is feasibly allowed to do and the person he is allowed to become have limits.

Another one of the most important quotes comes in that same argument. This time it is Sarkin who is speaking, telling Berlin and the other soldiers to give up on their quest to find Cacciato and their role in the war and finally find happiness. She says,

While this is an imaginary debate between Berlin and the fictional Sarkin, it reveals one of the biggest sources of tension in the novel: the desire to fight for one's country and fulfill one's duty while also realizing the emotional and psychological toll that the war has on the soldiers. Ultimately, Sarkin is part of Berlin's subconscious mind. He wants a future with her, and the fact that she runs away from him at the end of the novel reveals that he will never truly be happy while he is still held back by the trauma of the war.