The Sorrow of War

by

Bảo Ninh

“Lofty” Thinh Character Analysis

“Lofty” Thinh was one of Kien’s fellow soldiers in the Vietnam War. “Lofty” once shot and killed an orangutan in an abandoned village. When he and the other men skinned the animal, though, it looked like the corpse of a human woman, so they didn’t eat it. Still, “Lofty” and the others felt like the corpse haunted them for the rest of the war—sure enough, “Lofty” died a violent death not long after the incident.
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“Lofty” Thinh Character Timeline in The Sorrow of War

The timeline below shows where the character “Lofty” Thinh appears in The Sorrow of War. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Pages 3-8
Memory, Trauma, and Moving On Theme Icon
...illness and death, they burned the village. Still, they avoided the charred remains—until, that is, “Lofty” Thinh from one of the squads went into the village and shot an orangutan. He... (full context)
Pages 26-44
Memory, Trauma, and Moving On Theme Icon
Love in Times of Hardship Theme Icon
...stomach. He shouted at her to halt, but she left. As he threatened to shoot, “Lofty” stepped out and told him to calm down, assuring him that nobody was there.  (full context)
Memory, Trauma, and Moving On Theme Icon
Love in Times of Hardship Theme Icon
...in the fighting that ensued when Kien and the others ambushed them, but four survived. “Lofty”—who was one of the lovers—died in the fighting, too. After rounding up the four remaining... (full context)