Chapter 23, Don't I Know You Summary and Analysis

O'Brien's year in Vietnam is over. He boards a plane to go home and notes that "there is no joy in leaving. Nothing to savor with your eyes or heart". The stewardess walks through the cabin and sprays an anti-bacterial spray on the seats and on the soldiers. As O'Brien seats himself, he notices her detached smile and feels worn out. He leaves during the night. He cannot see the earth as the plane takes off. The earth of Vietnam is the only aspect of the country that O'Brien felt he understood, having immersed himself in it's muck, rivers, rice paddies, oceans, lagoons, and foxholes. He knew how the earth smelled in different regions of Vietnam and the different colors of clay.

During the long flight, he thinks about what he has learned...