The Thematic Interpretation Of A Tale Of Three Wars From The Perspective Of Ethics Of War

The American Vietnam War opens up a new field for American war literature,and many American Vietnam War literary works have come into being.The American writer and major general Edward Breed Atkeson participated in the Vietnam War in the 1960 s.He completed the non-fictional Vietnam War novel A Tale of Three Wars on the basis of his experience in the Vietnam War.This novel uses realistic points to describe Americans,the South Vietnamese people and North Vietnamese people simultaneously during the war,which comprehensively introduces the combat situations of all belligerents.The novel has been welcomed by readers as soon as it was published,and some even compare it to War and Peace.However,there is no research paper on the novel in China.The thesis combines both close reading and the theory of Ethics of War to study the themes in the novel.This thesis consists of five chapters.The first chapter introduces the American Vietnam War literature,the author,his major works and main contents of A Tale of Three Wars.Then the theory of Ethics of War,literature review and the research significance and structure of the thesis are also elaborated in this chapter.The second chapter studies the right ethics of war of the United States,South Vietnam and North Vietnam.On the grounds of self-preservation and self-defense,the United States launches the Vietnam War,but its justification for the war cannot stand the test.South Vietnam wages the war for the South Vietnamese bureaucrats' interests instead of their people's interests,which does not conform to the right ethics of war.The North Vietnamese government aims to overthrow the decadent South Vietnamese government and drive away the foreign troops that interfere in Vietnam's internal affairs for realizing its liberation,independence and freedom,which is in line with the requirements of the right ethics of war.The third chapter analyzes the action ethics of war of the United States,South Vietnam and North Vietnam.The United States uses powerful weapons and equipment and adopts the "search and destroy" and other operational strategies,which violates the principle of proportionality in the action ethics of war.South Vietnam has overwhelming weapons and materials under America's support,and treats the North Vietnamese civilians as enemies indiscriminately,which violates the principle of distinction in the action ethics of war.North Vietnam organizes the "reeducation center" that restricts individuals' freedom and the "comfort women" program that harms the innocent women,which challenges the action ethics of war.The fourth chapter discusses the responsibility ethics of war of the United States,South Vietnam and North Vietnam.The American leaders who bring about serious consequences due to their own improper decisions should take the responsibility for the war,and American soldiers who actually perform various non-ethical tasks cannot escape from the war's responsibility.South Vietnam's officers and soldiers who oppress the North Vietnamese civilians cannot be free from the requirements of the war's responsibility.It is necessary to urge the relevant North Vietnamese leaders and officers who violate the action ethics of war to bear the responsibility for the war too.The fifth chapter is the conclusion.Rejecting the war and pursuing peace are the novel's themes.If the war happens inevitably,the strict observances of the right ethics of war,action ethics of war and responsibility ethics of war can minimize the harm by the war.The thesis finally points out the limitations of the research and puts forward some suggestions for the future research.