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Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Women, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Trauma, Healing, and the Vietnam War
Women’s Experiences and Solidarity
Heroism, Honor, and Sacrifice
Propaganda vs. Truth
Shame, Pride, and Moral Ambiguity
Summary
Analysis
Frankie drifts in and out of consciousness, hearing doctors and her own screams. She wakes briefly and sees Henry, who promises to get her out of the psychiatric ward. When Frankie finally comes to, she’s in a dorm room with a pounding headache. Exiting the room, she wanders the building’s halls, remembering the ocean and her ambulance ride. Frankie encounters a counselor named Jill Landis, who tells Frankie she’ll soon take part in mandatory group therapy, which is helpful for veterans. Jill delivers Frankie to Henry’s office. He hugs her. She’s been transferred to the therapeutic drug and alcohol treatment facility, which Henry runs. Mom called him and signed Frankie up for eight weeks to start.
Frankie’s intake process is itself traumatic and raises questions of why it took such extreme circumstances to get her help. Henry is able to rescue Frankie from the psychiatric ward only because he has prior knowledge of her trauma and personal investment in her wellbeing—things that plenty of other veterans suffering from similar problems don’t have. That Henry, Mom, and Dad all intervene on Frankie’s behalf illustrates the importance of community when coping with trauma, even if that community doesn’t completely understand their loved one’s experiences.
Themes
Henry says Frankie should expect symptoms of withdrawal—she was addicted to Mom’s Valium pills, which have been marketed to women for years. He also says she’ll lose her nursing license. Henry instructs Frankie to sit and talk for a while, though he won’t be her primary therapist. Reluctant, Frankie stalls by looking at a photo of Henry and his new fiancée. Henry’s colleague, Dr. Alden, specializes in Vietnam veterans who are particularly prone to addiction. Frankie claims no one cares about the women who were in Vietnam. She tells Henry about being turned away from the VA. Henry insists that she went there not because of everything that’s happened since coming home, but because her problems started in Vietnam.
It's worth noting that Valium, an anxiety medication, has historically been prescribed to women, implying a long history of encouraging women to repress their anger and trauma. Frankie’s self-destructive addiction brought her to the brink of total collapse, but now Henry claims she will finally get the nuanced help she desperately needs. That so many veterans struggle with addiction indicates the demographic’s universal need for coping mechanisms. This is the first time Frankie’s trauma hasn’t been written off because she is a woman and a nurse. Still, she is hesitant to trust the process. Henry suggests that Frankie went to the VA because deep down she knows all her problems stem from unresolved trauma from Vietnam.
Themes
Henry asks Frankie if she experiences surges of irrational anger or flashbacks to the war. Her condition is called post-traumatic stress disorder, though it hasn’t been officially classified yet. Frankie protests that she didn’t see combat and others, like Rye, had it worse. Henry insists trauma “isn’t a competitive sport” and says people experience it in different ways. The POWs, for example, were welcomed home as heroes, whereas Frankie was made to feel ashamed. He assures Frankie her experiences are valid. Realizing the truth of his words, Frankie asks how she gets back to her former self. Henry says she can only move forward—the woman she was died in Vietnam. Frankie grieves the loss of her innocence.
That Frankie’s experiences are common enough to be diagnosed as PTSD validates her symptoms and reassures her that she is not alone. This should be comforting news, but Frankie’s trauma has been dismissed so often that she now does it herself, claiming other soldiers had it worse. Henry challenges this by pointing out how some veterans were celebrated while many were shamed. Even if Frankie wasn’t in the latter category, her trauma is still valid, and she still deserves help. Though Frankie’s condition is treatable, Henry confirms that she will never be the idealistic young woman she once was.
Themes
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Frankie begins therapy with Dr. Alden, who asks her to begin with memories of Vietnam. Gradually, she opens up about the horrifying things she witnessed and feelings she’s repressed. It is emotionally exhausting. Dr. Alden gives her a journal to write in. Three weeks in, Frankie receives a visitor: Barb. Barb and Frankie sit outside. Frankie tells her about the affair with Rye and how therapy is helping her understand the root of her problems. She wishes she’d told Barb and Ethel about her struggles with Vietnam memories. Barb has struggled too, surprising Frankie. They talk for hours about what they endured. Frankie realizes words can heal and allows herself to hope she’ll be okay someday.
At last, Frankie begins processing her traumatic memories, which allows her to release them and find peace. Here, the novel explores how repressed emotions fester and create larger problems the longer a person holds them in. Frankie’s conversation with Barb demonstrates how difficult it can be to talk about trauma even among people who have similar experiences. In breaking their silence about Vietnam, Frankie and Barb strengthen their bond and move forward on their personal healing journeys.
Themes
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