From Sophocles to Springsteen, wars have inspired artists.
The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are no exception, though at times they are off the radar of popular consciousness. While there may be no solid consensus for the fighting and limited awareness of the suffering and sacrifice, the anguish of 21st century war is still deeply expressed in films, songs and writings.
As The Times’s A. O. Scott suggested, the turncoat heroes in some recent films may reflect a wider moral uncertainty about war. That is, if you can penetrate a layer or two of allegory. In “Avatar,” Jake Scully abandons his own invading Earth forces to fight with the natives of the planet Pandora. “Is it supposed to be about Iraq? Vietnam? Global warming?” Mr. Scott stops short of a conclusive answer but notes that similar turncoat protagonists appear in “District 9,” “Daybreakers” and “Legion.” In these films, he adds: “We are the bad guys.”
In other recent films that take a more direct look at war, the extreme stress of fighting is clear, but the messages are not. As Mr. Scott noted in a separate Times article, “The Hurt Locker,” “Restropo,” “Brothers” and “The Messenger” all “favor immediate experience over ideological debate.” The filmmakers, he added, “were typically vocal in denying any political agenda.”
Another outpouring of expression is coming from the veterans themselves. As The Times reported, some are apolitical, like some of the recent films; others are highly critical. In her book, “Love My Rifle More Than You,” Kayla Williams, an Arabicspeaking former sergeant, writes of her disgust at being pressured to verbally humiliate a naked Iraqi prisoner. A blogger, Matt Gallagher, was shut down by the United States Army in 2008, but will resurface in April with a book, “Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War.”
As it has since Sophocles, the need for catharsis may drive these writers. “I had a lot of ghosts I was wrestling with,” Craig M. Mullaney, a former Army Ranger and author of “The Unforgiving Minute,” told The Times. “I thought by writing I could make some sense of this jumble of experiences and memories and doubts and fears.”
Many artists have conveyed deeply felt views on war without having seen combat, including Bruce Springsteen, who most recently contributed to the soundtrack of the documentary
“Body of War,” about a paralyzed Iraq veteran. Like today’s soldier-writers, Sophocles himself drew on his own military experiences and brought them alive on the stages of ancient Greece. His plays illuminate the timelessness of mental and emotional trauma after battle, and his insights remain as relevant as ever.
Lately, the Pentagon has been funding an independent group, Theater of War, to perform his plays “Ajax” and “Philoctetes” for soldiers.
“Sophocles was himself a general, and Athens during his time was at war for decades,” Bryan Doerries, a writer and director who founded Theater of War, told The Times. “These two plays were seen by thousands of citizen-soldiers. By performing these scenes, we’re hoping that our modern-day soldiers will see their difficulties in a larger historical context and perhaps feel less alone.”
KEVIN DELANEY
Artists have been reflecting on the war in Iraq in recent works like the film “The Hurt Locker.” / EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY/SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT
