The inciting incident in "Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy" is when Private First Class Paul Berlin witnesses his fellow soldier Billy Boy Watkins die of a heart attack during a mortar attack. This event triggers Paul's intense fear and anxiety about the reality of war and death, leading to his struggle with his own mortality throughout the story.
Where Have You Gone Charming Billy was written by Tim O'Brien. It's theme is war. The story is all about the fear of being in a war.
fear
Billy boy was tough as nails.
The setting is a war in Vietnam
To the east coast of South Vietnam.
He died of a heart attack due to losing a foot in a mine.
Paul Berlin is the main character/narrator. Billy Boy was, but he died. And the other soldiers
A lullabye.
Paul expects to find his lost wife, Celia, at the sea in the song "Charming Billy." He believes that she has gone to the sea to seek peace and solitude, and he longs to be reunited with her there.
The point of view in the short story "Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?" by Tim O'Brien is third person limited, focusing on the thoughts and feelings of Private First Class Paul Berlin as he navigates fear and uncertainty during the Vietnam War.
http://www.nexuslearning.net/books/Elements_of_Lit_Course4/Collection%203/Charming%20Billy%20p1.htm
The irony in Billy Boy's death in Tim O'Brien's story "Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy" is that he dies not on the battlefield from enemy fire, but from a sudden heart attack triggered by fear and anxiety. This reveals the unpredictable nature of war and its impact on individual soldiers beyond the direct dangers of combat.