Chapter 3: Open Wounds
"One consequence of the increased killing by both sides was the growing number of parentless children. Many of them found homes with relatives, in Ky La or more distant places, but many others were reduced to scavenging in the fields and garbage dumps, begging, or stealing from farmers. They wandered around, alone or with other orphans, looking as miserable as they were" (69). The concrete details mentioned in this quote really shocked me. It is really hard to think of what it might be like to be an orphan and to be in the same situation as these kids. Not only are they orphans, but they also are poor, and are left to feed their brothers and sisters while being in the middle of an intense war. Le Ly is fortunate enough to not be one of these orphans, however she is often arrested, and tormented for things as simple as just being at the wrong place at the wrong time. She is living in a village that is also caught in the middle of all the fighting. While they secretly side with the Viet Cong, they are forced to go along with everything that the Republicans demand of them. In these situations the kids are forced to give up their childhoods and act as adults. Some of them, becoming responsible for fighting for their families.
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