Why is Perry having difficulty sending a letter home to Kenny in Fallen Angels?

Answer 1

In Fallen Angels the character Perry writes his mother, these letters are symbolic of him realizing the suffering of war. At the beginning he does not have a clear view of war and has no trouble writing to his house. Once he gets a taste of the brutality of war he finds it difficult to write honestly(JENKINS DEATH). Eventually though, he is finally able to write an honest letter home. This symbolizes Perry rejecting the myths of war and finally coming to terms with the real, brutality of war.

He initially does not have any trouble writing home since he does not have a clear view of war. It is very briefly talked about in the book, and shrugged off as if it was a minor detail. This suggests that at this point, its easy for Perry to write a letter home. In the beginning of the novel, Perry has an unclear view of war. His faulty concept of war allows him to write a letter in blissful ignorance.

He quickly realizes the cruelty of war and finds it difficult to write home. We get a hint of this is when Jenkins dies. He resolves to write to his mother about Jenkins' death, but finds the topic too difficult to discuss and decides to not write a letter. Throughout the novel Perry is unable to be honest about war. Instead he continues to send letters that are watered-down even though he no longer believes the war myths. He is afraid of making his mom upset. He also does not want to relive the tragedy. The bloodshed of war makes it increasingly difficult for him to write home.