Although Cracker loves Willie, her relationship with him differs from the relationship she eventually has with Rick. Why do you think that Cracker grows closer to Rick than she ever was with Willie?

How does Kadohata use literary devices such as pacing, imagery, tone, point of view, and dialogue to convey the foreignness of Vietnam as experienced by American soldiers upon arrival?

Chapters are sometimes entirely from one character’s perspective (Rick or Cracker), and at other times, the perspective rapidly switches between the two. How does the changing perspective affect the way the reader interprets the story? Consider how the reader’s interpretation of events might have differed if told solely from Rick or Cracker’s point of view.