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Chapter 6
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
The next morning, Frankie reports to Major Goldstein, who assigns her to the Neuro ward’s night shift, remarking on Frankie’s subpar nursing experience. The ward is filled with Stryker beds used for paraplegics and ventilators. Captain Ted Smith, the doctor who runs the ward, shows her around. Frankie is surprised to see a Vietnamese patient—Smith says they sometimes treat villagers. Every patient in the ward has brain damage. Smith laments that they can “save their bodies, but not their lives.” Frankie’s job will be to monitor their wound dressings and status until they can be transferred to the Third Field Hospital. Though Frankie’s lack of experience embarrasses her, Smith claims she has heart and promises that he can hone her skills.
Major Goldstein doesn’t spare Frankie’s feelings, assigning her to the Neuro ward where she can help without hindering. Smith, on the other hand, commends Frankie’s desire to serve and assures her she will improve. Frankie’s surprise at seeing a Vietnamese patient suggests she has given little thought to the political nuances of war and civilian rights. Though it is bleak to care for patients who will likely never wake up, Smith claims that Frankie’s compassion will make her work meaningful.
Themes
In April, Frankie writes to Mom and Dad, sharing the lighter details of her job. She enjoys the quiet Neuro ward, where she can practice her skills and gain confidence. Frankie takes extra care with pain management, seeing every patient as Finley and speaking to them gently. One day, she cares for 19-year-old Private Jorge Ruiz, whose actions on the field saved his platoon. After introducing herself to the comatose man, she checks his wounds for infection. Two of the men Ruiz saved visit his bedside. They take a picture of Frankie and Ruiz to send the soldier’s mother. When her shift ends, Frankie avoids the mess and the O Club, heading straight home instead.
Frankie automatically censors her communication with Mom and Dad, not wanting to worry them with the truth. It’s likely Finley did the same while writing to Frankie. Rather than wallow in shame, Frankie dedicates herself to improving her nursing skills and treating the comatose men with dignity. That she greets her patients despite their unresponsiveness speaks to Frankie’s extreme compassion for these heroic men, which is rooted in her love for Finley. Private Ruiz’s visitors confirm his heroism which in turn emphasizes the tragedy of his loss. Though separated from more gruesome work, Frankie witnesses traumatic things daily, causing her to withdraw from socializing.
Themes
One morning, Ethel and Barb drag Frankie out of bed for a field trip. With no wounded incoming, they board a large truck with Captain Smith and several armed infantrymen, leaving the compound. Driving through the countryside, Ethel tells Frankie about MEDCAP—Medical Civic Action Program—which goes on outings to provide care to locals. Frankie photographs the country but becomes anxious when a soldier mentions snipers. The U.S. has strategically killed some vegetation so there are fewer places to hide. They arrive at a village built around a decrepit French villa. Again, a soldier cautions them against the Viet Cong (VC), who sometimes plant bombs on civilians—even children. Frankie wonders how to protect herself from invisible enemies.
Ethel and Barb note Frankie’s reclusion and force her to engage with the rest of the community, knowing this will help her cope. The MEDCAP expedition shows that the medical staff, at least, are aware of the effects of war on Vietnamese civilians and willing to help alleviate their suffering. Frankie struggles to get used to the knowledge that she is always in danger in Vietnam, increasing her paranoia. The U.S. historically used a chemical herbicide nicknamed “Agent Orange” to kill vegetation in Vietnam, making the guerilla methods of the VC less effective.
Themes
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The villagers are all very old or very young. An elderly Vietnamese man greets the medical team and gives them wine in gratitude. They set up stations in the old villa, and villagers come to the makeshift clinic to have various ailments treated. A five-year-old boy stands next to Frankie, waiting patiently until she’s treated everyone in line. Speaking no English, the boy leads Frankie deeper into the building, and she follows despite her fear of the VC. Inside a filthy room that smells of rot, Frankie discovers a teenage girl whose hand has been crushed and infected with gangrene. She calls for Captain Smith, who declares the girl’s hand is a roller injury from mill work.
That there are no middle-aged civilians in the village suggests they are out fighting or have been killed. The Vietnamese civilians seem genuinely grateful for the group’s medical aid. Frankie’s paranoid fear almost stops her from following the young boy, but her compassion wins out. The severity of the girl’s injury hints at the hardship these ordinary people face, above and beyond the fact that they’re living in a warzone.
Themes
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Smith contemplates sending the girl to the Third Field Hospital, though the villagers probably won’t let her go. Her best chance of survival is amputation and antibiotics. Frankie tries to call Ethel, but Smith wants Frankie to assist. The boy runs at the sight of the saw. Smith administers morphine, and Frankie holds the girl while he amputates. After binding the wound, they see an elderly woman crying nearby. Using gestures, Frankie instructs the woman on how to care for her granddaughter’s wound. The little boy—presumably the girl’s brother—gifts Frankie a smooth stone. In return, she gives him her Saint Christopher medal. Frankie will carry the stone as a reminder to hope. Barb and Ethel commend Frankie’s work.
By asking Frankie to assist, Smith tests both her empathy and her nursing skills. Though horrible, the experience bolsters Frankie’s confidence. The little boy’s desire to thank Frankie by gifting what little he has (the stone) is deeply humanizing, highlighting the Vietnamese as people who suffer just as the Americans do. Despite the trauma she has witnessed, Frankie keeps the stone as a precious reminder that hope in human decency has not been entirely lost.
Themes
