Chapter 21: Nightlife

How did Rat Kiley get out of active duty in the Vietnam?

• Rat Kiley got out of active duty in Vietnam as he “took off his boots and socks, laid out his medical kit, doped himself up, and put a round through his foot” (O’Brien 212). Specifically, prior to this, Rat couldn't adjust to the shift in moving only at night. Tim mentions that although the other soldiers adapted to this routine, Rat couldn't as stated, “The whole platoon felt the impact. With Rat Kiley, though, it was different. Too many body bags, maybe. Too much gore” (O’Brien 209). The silence from the night also seemed to drive him insane as he would imagine non-living objects speaking to him. 

Consider the placement of this story in the novel. What is O’Brien’s purpose in including this story so late in the novel and immediately following “The Ghost Soldiers”?

• O’Brien purposely includes this story so late in the novel, to where it immediately follows “The Ghost Soldiers”, because it allows the reader to think of what happened to each of the soldiers in relation to the progression of the war. It also shows Tim’s reaction to his friend's situation. It generally picks back up on what happened to Rat after Tim kept mentioning him in the beginning of this chapter. For example, Tim was shot and Rat was the medic who kept checking up on him as stated, “I started to think I might die… Thank God for Rat Kiley. Every so often, maybe four times altogether, he trotted back to check me out. Which took courage. It was a wild fight, guys running and laying down fire and regrouping and running again, lots of noise, but Rat Kiley took the risks” (O’Brien ???). 

Reflection:

This chapter is another example of how the war, particularly the night during the war, can make a person go “crazy" or do his or her best to leave. Rat Kiley decided he's had enough, that the war has finally gotten to him. There was nothing that can be done, except shooting himself to get out of it, and his team knew this too. The title is contradictory as “night life” is normally used in a fun connotation, yet this time it's used to describe the mundane task. Mitchell Sanders tells the tale to Tim, who was absent when Rat shot his foot, which places importance on storytelling and it's almost inevitable not to tell a war story, especially that involving a friend. The darkness has impacted everyone and their mindset, particularly the loneliness provided by war, yet Rat was one of the soldiers that was most affected by it and actually acted upon it.