Good Night, Irene

Content Warning: The source material and this section of the guide discuss sexual harassment, war-related trauma, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The source material uses the outdated term “shellshock” to refer to PTSD and also contains offensive and racist language.

“‘I intend to serve my country,’ she said, ‘and this is what they’ll let me do. I have never made a donut in my life. I don’t know how to drive a truck. And the coffee I’ve made has been known to incapacitate its victims. So tell me Sarge—you’re an expert. How will I do?’”

Before going to war, Irene believes that the soldier on the train is trying to talk her out of going to war because he holds a sexist belief that, as a woman, she cannot handle the stresses of such an environment. However, Irene intends to prove him wrong because she wants to use her determination to learn and dedicate herself to doing something meaningful in her life.

“If you get to come home, you will be so grateful you won’t realize at first that you survived. But once you know you survived, you’ll only be starting to understand.”

The soldier on the train tries to warn Irene about the terrible effects of war, and the survivor’s guilt that comes afterward. Although Irene does not yet understand what the soldier tries to tell her, this quote foreshadows the guilt that Irene experiences at the end of the novel when she returns home.

“She was so filled with rage. Her father. The farm. Her mother. Donny. She needed an escape, a valve to release her helpless anger. She needed to take some action. She decided to go to war.”

Dorothy’s internal conflict is born of the pent-up rage and helplessness that she feels over the deaths of her family members. Rather than facing her anger and grief directly, however, Dorothy chooses to constantly move toward action because it gives her a sense of purpose amidst the randomness of death.