How we cite our quotes: (Poem.Paragraph)
Quote #1
When the sergeant told them to kill all the Japanese soldiers lined up in front of the cave with their hands on their heads, Tayo could not pull the trigger.
Tayo's actions in the war tell us a lot about his character. He rejects the violence of warfare and feels empathy for his enemies.
Quote #2
When Tayo prayed on the long muddy road to the prison camp, it was for dry air, dry as a hundred years squeezed out of yellow sand, air to dry out the oozing wounds of Rocky's leg, to let the torn flesh and broken bones breathe, to clear the sweat that filled Rocky's eyes. (IV.13)
Aside from giving us a really gruesome picture of some of the circumstances of war, this line also lets us know that Tayo is on his way to a prison camp and provides a hint that he's a participant in the infamous Bataan Death March. Yeah, that certainly doesn't sound like a very fun experience.
Quote #3
In the old way of warfare, you couldn't kill another human being in battle without knowing it, without seeing the result, because even a wounded deer that got up and ran again left great clots of lung blood or spilled guts on the ground. That way the hunter knew it would die. Human beings were no different. (V.123)
Old man Ku'oosh's traditional understanding of war is a good way of illustrating the difference between Laguna culture and white culture. In Laguna Pueblo culture, people and animals are connected to one another, even in warfare or hunting.