The Observation Post

Paul Berlin returns to this Observation Post in his mind frequently during the telling of the story. It is a post on the edge of the sea in the Quang Ngai province. It is a rickety old tower and at one point, Paul Berlin acknowledges that there is nothing to observe and no mission. In the story, Paul Berlin is on guard duty one night and each hour of the duty has its own flavor, its own emotions. The other men are asleep and he is protecting them. Paul Berlin's mind is not a stable place and the observation post is where he retreats from reality and even from his imaginary trip to Paris in order to sort things out. The post is a halfway point for Paul Berlin, not completely in the war but not completely out of it either.

Paris

Paris is the...