The narrative’s “past” setting in the 1950s and 1960s coincides with the Vietnam conflict, and related events—such as the military draft and antiwar protests—play a key role in several characters’ lives. The United States’ involvement in Vietnam began in the 1950s, though the conflict began in earnest in 1965 when President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the bombing of North Vietnam. The late 1960s, then, mark the height of American protests against US military action in the country (“Vietnam War Timeline.” History, 2023).

The conflict was unpopular among some US citizens, including John and Hester in the novel. A primary reason was the instillation of a military draft system by which citizens were forced to enter combat. Until the end of the conflict in 1975, 2.2 million Americans were conscripted (“The Military Draft During the Vietnam War.” Michigan in the World). University students were able to defer entering the draft, thus preventing the draft from being truly random. The horrors of the war were televised—a first in the United States, thanks to technologies not present in previous wars—and this, coupled with the perception that the United States was not under direct threat by North Vietnam, led to the belief that the sacrifice by US citizens was unnecessary.