Violence
has quickly become the conclusion and solution that much of mankind has chosen when conflict arises. It has become prevalent all over the
world, plaguing many nations. The War shows horrifying violence and war
and the traumatic experiences that many face as a result. But, with most everything,
lessons can always be learned. This film
is a memoir, told by a twelve-year-old girl, Lidia, whose father has recently
returned from the Vietnam War. Through
her eyes, she has many lessons to learn. Most importantly, Lidia realizes not to take loved ones for granted and
that war does not solve anything. With
violence comes war, and with war come violence, they go hand in hand, and yet
neither war nor violence solve anything.
“It’s
not a bad idea to occasionally spend a little time thinking about things you
take for granted. Plain everyday
things.” In The War, this is one of the greatest lessons that Lydia learns as
she ventures throughout her everyday life.
Stephen Simmons, Lidia’s father, has just returned from the war and is
suffering from Post Traumatic Stress. The
sounds and emotion used in The War
portray the awfulness of PTS. It is very
difficult for Lidia to see her father this way.
He suffered many upsetting experiences throughout the war, including
leaving his best friend Dodge behind, and is the not the same as he used to be,
and Lidia sees that. Lidia sees her
father as somewhat useless and does respect how hard he works to support his
family. After being released from a
mental hospital, Mr. Simmons is on a mission to find a job. He is finally given a job at the local
elementary school in the tiny town of Juliet, Mississippi, but soon after, he
is fired because he has been in a mental hospital. It is not until her father dies that she
realizes how much she wished he was still there. Lidia took her father for granted, and now he is gone.
The fact that fighting
does not solve anything is another lesson that is prevalent throughout the
film. In the Vietnam War, there are an
unthinkable number of deaths and causalities.
Many innocent Vietnamese people get killed along with many American soldiers. In the end, nobody
actually “wins” the war. Not only does
this type of sadness occur in war, but it also often occurs in everyday
life. Many people try and beat out
others to come out on top and in the end, they not only end up hurting
themselves, but also others. In The War, the Lipnicki children fight
with Stu, Lidia, and their friends over a tree house they built. Both sides hurt the other physically and
verbally thus turning this fight into somewhat of a “war.” The fighting quickly escalates as the methods
of fighting become even worse until the tree house is then set on fire by the
Lipnicki children. What many people do
not realize, is that fighting goes nowhere, it just creates an even bigger
problem.
War or
violence is not the answer. It solves
absolutely nothing. In The War, both the Vietnam War and the
fighting and violence among the children are not beneficial to either
side. Violence is not the answer, it
just causes more problems. However,
despite the tensions amongst the Lipnicki children and Stu, Mr. Simmons
restores faith in humanity. He decides
to teach Stu a lesson by giving the cotton candy that was intended for Lidia
and Mrs. Simmons to two of the Lipnicki children. Stu angrily asks why he did that and Mr.
Simmons replies, “They look like they haven’t been given nothin’ in a long
time.” Despite the fighting and violence
in the world, even something as simple as generosity can restore faith in
humanity and can also teach us a lesson in the process. There are many lessons to be learned
throughout The War. Take time to be thankful for the ones you
love because you never know when they might not be there anymore. No matter how angry and overbearing a situation
can become, violence and war are not the answer. Instead, be one who restores the faith in humanity. 
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