The Pacific (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Mark Helprin
- First Published: 1986
- Type of Work: Short story
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
- Subjects: Factories, Husbands, North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, Wives, Love or romance, 1940’s, World War II, California, West, U.S., War, Light
- Locales: California
“The Pacific” is the ironic title of this tale of war and is the theater of Lee's battle, the ocean that separates yet connects the couple, and the seashore where Paulette waits and tries to work the miracle that will see to Lee's safety. Helprin makes the reader wait for the last sentence of the story to find out whether she is successful.
Paulette and Lee do everything right and to the best of their ability. Lee tries to be the best soldier that he can be. In his military training, he marches for three days and nights and then stands guard over the rest of the unit. When...
[The entire page is 519 words long]
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