When Shooting the Moon starts, Jamie is gung-ho about her brother going to war. In fact, she's jealous. TJ gets to use a gun and fight the bad guys while she's stuck at home, going to school. Snooze fest. It's only when Jamie starts to see some of the blood and guts from TJ's photos that she begins to realize that war isn't all glory and excitement like when she played it as a kid. Hmm… Seems like it might have been obvious that war involves blood, but whatever.
We might say that the book is really about Jamie's journey with war since how she thinks about and understands war changes over the course of the book as she deals with it more. Just like Jamie, we're reminded that war in many ways isn't about winning or losing. It's super hard for the soldiers and their families who are left worrying about the fate of their loved ones.
Questions About Warfare
- What is Jamie's attitude toward war at the beginning of the book? How about at the end? What makes her think twice about the war?
- How do the pictures relate to war? What is Byrd's attitude to the pictures he took in Vietnam? Why? How does Hollister respond to TJ's pictures?
- What is the Colonel's attitude toward the Vietnam War specifically? How does his job and position on war impact Jamie's idea of it?
- Check out our guide to the Vietnam War. Do you think it was worth the hassle? Why or why not?
Chew on This
Jamie's attitude toward war demonstrates her naivety and childish notions of life.
Even though Jamie isn't as excited about the Vietnam War at the end of the book, she still supports war in general.