Ruthless Therapy

"He shot it twice in the flanks. It wasn't to to kill; it was to hurt...Rat Kiley was crying. He tried to say something, but then cradled his rifle and went off by himself," (page 75-76).

I find the story where Rat Kiley kills the baby buffalo particularly disturbing. The poor guy lost his best friend and now he wants something else to feel the pain that he does. It was almost like therapy for Kiley. As much as I love war stories, I hate actual war. The thought of millions of people walking around with life-taking weapons makes me cringe. I wish all of the tales that came from war were fictional. I have someone very close to me who is enlisting into the armed forces this year, and it scares me. War can turn people into someone they aren't; it can bring out the worst in people, which is what I think O'Brien was trying to explain in this anecdote. Rat Kiley himself was an animal. It is disgusting that a man can feel a sense of revenge and comfort by killing an innocent animal. One thing is for sure, I would never be able to see my best friend killed and then live a sane life afterward. I guess I can't really blame Rat Kiley for what he did.