Open Wounds (Chapter 3)

Compared to the way the American youth lived, even back then, Le Ly's childhood was anything but ordinary.  On the contrary, when compared to other members of her community, her childhood was nothing out of the ordinary.  Through most eyes, this young girl was forced to grow up way before her time.  To her family, community, and government, she wasn't growing up fast enough.

Even so, at around the age of fifteen, she knew "a child must grow up--she cant stay an infant forever; just as war, once started, grows from infancy to assume a life of its own--one so terrible that even the parents who spawned it no longer claim it as their own".  In my opinion, this quote is applicable to most if not all wars.  The governments engage in the fighting, and then as it spirals out of control, they claim not to be at fault  

Pathos is evident in the description of the brutality of the war which had increased greatly; Le Ly was taken into custody three times, brutally tortured, and raped twice by people she once trusted.

On her reunion journey, Le Ly faces some issues.  First, she is cautioned not to go for safety reasons.  Then, she was told a woman was once jailed for returning.  Third, she is stopped by customs and told she must attend a meeting.  She slowly starts to regret her decision to return home.
(image shows emotional destruction left by war)