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Chapter 7
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
Mom replies to Frankie’s letter and reports (with disapproval) that the protests are escalating. She and Dad watch the news every night, hoping to glimpse Frankie. Meanwhile, Frankie has been promoted to day shifts in Neuro. She always says good night to every patient. One evening, Barb and Ethel dress up to attend Captain Smith’s goodbye party. Though exhausted, Frankie joins them, grateful for Smith’s mentorship. The three women take a helicopter to Long Binh, one of the largest U.S. bases in-country. Viewing Vietnam from above, Frankie is struck by the lush jungle and beautiful beaches, which contrast with the signs of violent destruction.
Given Mom’s conservative upbringing, it is no surprise that she disapproves of the outspoken and occasionally violent protests against the war. Disapproval of the war seems to be increasing among the American public, though such matters feel distant to Frankie. Frankie continues to treat her patients with remarkable compassion and improves as a nurse. The contrast between Vietnam’s beauty and the gruesome war seems to emphasize the destructive absurdity of the violence.
Themes
The women head to Long Binh’s Officers’ Club, which is famous for its epic parties. Frankie feels self-conscious in her conservative dress. The club is just another bar, hung with a banner for Captain Smith. It reminds her of Finley’s going-away party. There aren’t many women there. Frankie runs into the attractive Jamie Callahan, who she’s only seen in passing since their talk near the latrines. When he asks her to dance, Frankie can sense his grief and loneliness. She asks Jamie to tell her something good, and he talks about his niece and nephew back home.
Again, a raucous party in the middle of a war zone feels strangely discordant, and yet it seems necessary to maintain the company’s morale. Self-conscious in a dress her mother approved, Frankie senses how she is changing from the naïve young woman who arrived in Vietnam. Once again, the novel emphasizes how few women are serving in Vietnam, making Frankie and her friends’ service all the more remarkable. Like so many others, Jamie dances and engages in normal social behavior to cope with his trauma. Having been in Vietnam for a little while, Frankie now understands this impulse.
Themes
A trio of men enter the O Club, laughing loudly. They don’t look like military but sit down at a reserved table and receive immediate service. Jamie tells Frankie the men are the Seawolves, who provide naval helicopter combat support. One of them (Coyote) howls. Changing the subject, Jamie tells Frankie she should transfer to surgery. Barb, Ethel, and Captain Smith all praise her compassion and quick learning. First Frankie says she isn’t good enough, then she implies Jamie just wants to sleep with her. Flirtatiously, he confirms this desire but genuinely wants her on his team. Despite her fear of failure and her wariness of Jamie, Frankie wants to get better at nursing. She agrees to request a transfer.
The appearance of the Seawolves, navy men who provide helicopter support, may explain why Finley died in a helicopter. Jamie seems impressed by Frankie’s nursing skills and dedication to her patients, but he also hints at wanting a romantic relationship with her. While his flirtations don’t bother Frankie, they do highlight another way she is treated differently because she is a woman. Still, even though surgery will be more stressful than Neuro, Frankie longs to be more useful and save lives.
Themes
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Frankie’s first shift in the operating room (OR) is immediately chaotic. Like the MASCAL, there are bloody patients everywhere. Jamie finds her and instructs her to breathe before taking her through basic surgery procedures like delayed primary closures (DPCs), which critically prevent infection. With Jamie’s encouragement and despite her fear, Frankie dives in. Six hours later, Frankie has worked on countless soldiers coming in from Pre-Op in a procession called a push. Their final patient is a sergeant who’s been shot. Frankie hands Jamie surgical instruments and watches him repair the wound. At the shift’s end, Jamie reports to Barb that Frankie did well and helped save lives. Frankie is surprised to find she enjoyed the work.
By taking the time to help Frankie ground herself amid the chaos of the OR, Jamie builds her self-confidence and demonstrates his own leadership skills. Frankie learns it is critical to repress her fear long enough to do her job. Frankie takes pride in the sense that her actions have made a real difference in the soldiers’ lives.
Themes
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Jamie and Frankie walk to O Club. She’s never had a boyfriend, but social strictures against sex seem unimportant in the face of the horrors she’s seen. Frankie sits with Ethel while Jamie gets drinks. Ethel tells Frankie that Jamie is married and warns her to be careful before leaving the table. When Jamie returns, he tells Frankie about a hotel in Saigon they could visit. When she confronts him about his marriage, Jamie insists his wife, Sarah, and child, Davy, have nothing to do with him and Frankie. He got married right after Sarah got pregnant. Frankie calls him disappointing but stays, sensing his sadness.
In light of the trauma she’s witnessed, Frankie’s rigid sexual purity seems less important than it did back home. But when Ethel reveals Jamie is married—which he never mentioned—Frankie is furious that she almost unknowingly compromised her personal ethics. Jamie tries to convince Frankie dishonesty and infidelity are irrelevant in their situation, but Frankie stands firm. Nevertheless, she understands how the trauma and loneliness they experience in Vietnam can motivate questionable decisions.
Themes
In May, Frankie writes another letter to Mom and Dad, telling them she’s training to be a surgical nurse. She loves the work and wants to do well. Again, she focuses on the country’s beautiful scenery but withholds the daily horrors. She requests they send toiletries and a new Saint Christopher medal. Mom writes back. She lights a candle for Frankie every Sunday and Dad often sits in Frankie’s car in the garage. America feels volatile and disunited. Mom laments that the women of her generation never considered being “good at something that mattered.”
Frankie attempts to censor the details of her stay in Vietnam but also give her parents real news about her life, indicating she still desires their approval. Mom’s concern for her daughter seems sincere. Dad’s feelings toward Frankie are more nebulous—he seems to miss her but never writes himself. Mom’s closing remark suggests she understands the value of Frankie’s work and is slowly becoming aware of the flaws in her worldview and priorities.
Themes
