The Pumpkin

The Pumpkin is the central location of this book, both practically in terms of where the story takes place, but also thematically as it is symbolic of the war in the Lebanese security zone as a whole. The Pumpkin is an Israeli hilltop outpost which was located in that security zone up until its destruction at the turn of the 21st century when the Israeli army pulled out of Lebanon. The Pumpkin is viewed through different perspectives as Friedman writes about the experiences of various soldiers there, including his own. It is also viewed from his perspective years later when he returns to what remains of the outpost. The Pumpkin is symbolic of a forgotten war in which seemingly marginal events ended up playing a major role in shaping the Middle East of the 21st century. It is also symbolic of a loss of innocence, as...