Docu-Fictions of War: U.S. Interventionism in Film and Literature by Tatiana Prorokova

Author:Tatiana Prorokova
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SOC052000 Social Science / Media Studies, Media Studies, Social Science
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Published: 2019-05-15T00:42:55.643000+00:00

The scene overtly demonstrates the difference between the two men, the “good” and “bad” Americans. Whereas Jackson tries to help in every situation, West prefers to stay indifferent to what is going on. One can speculate that West’s unconcern stands for the way the U.S. ignored the war. As the dialogue continues, West announces his attitude several times, saying, “What do I care what these savages do to each other?” and “What the hell do I care if these goddamned savages slaughter themselves.” Jackson counters, “I can’t believe Katz would send you! You don’t even care about what’s happening here!” (44; italics in original). This persistent reference to the act of caring and its obvious absence allows one to conclude that the reaction of the international community to the Balkan War was strikingly peculiar; namely, the pervasive global indifference left the peoples of the former Yugoslavia trapped within the borders of their own collapsing country to experience the brutality of the war and to overcome it as best they could on their own.

The novel reflects the desperate desire of the locals to be saved by the U.S.: “Many nights,” says the Bosnian girl Sabina, “I have prayed for America to come and save my people” (277). It also displays the U.S. neglect of the Balkan War; for instance, when Zarko brings an injured Bosnian boy to a local imam, he is surprised to see that the latter is burning a huge pile of teddy bears to warm himself and the other people who are hiding in the mosque. When Zarko asks where the toys are from, the imam answers, “They were a gift from the people of America for the poor children of Bosnia” (387). Zarko hopes that the Americans have also sent antibiotics, yet he finds out that those toys were the only aid given to Bosnia by the U.S.

This Way to Heaven touches upon an even more shocking issue, the UN’s awareness of the existence of mass graves: “Spy satellites pinpointed these graves. We’ve known about them for months, but it wasn’t until recently that we could get some men out here to investigate” (391–92). The novel deals with the problem accurately, pointing to the difficulty of identifying and defining the murderers; without evidence, the crimes must go unpunished.

Despite the novel’s focus on the steadfast indifference of Samuel West toward the conflict (and, through him, the indifference of the U.S.), This Way to Heaven seems to justify international inaction, wisely accepting the view that perhaps the conflict was not so easily stopped, even with the help of external involvement: “But then Jackson realized that what had happened was over now, and West had been right. There was nothing he could do” (45). Although the quote refers specifically to the case of the woman and the child described earlier, it may well characterize the general situation. Was it possible to easily stop this war without any rules, a war predominantly based on national and ethnic hatreds?

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