Going After Cacciato

They continue to walk through the tunnels, now wading through sewage, until finally they come to a ladder bolted to a stone wall. Sarkin leads them up, pushing open a manhole cover to reveal the night sky of Mandalay. They walk along a dirt road past cats, chicken, and dogs amidst garbage; Oscar compares it to Detroit. Paul starts to hear a hum, and the streets widen until they become a boulevard with gas lamps, fountains, people of all ages, vehicles, and date trees. “‘Civilization,’ Paul Berlin said” (112).

They take a trolley, and Paul is overjoyed, despite the lack of air conditioning. They go to the Hotel Minneapolis, and a woman leads them to their rooms. Sarkin and Paul lie in bed together; she clips his toenails and talks about all they will do in Paris. She asks how long they’ll stay before moving on to Paris, and Paul says as long as it takes to look for Cacciato. He tells her that it’s the mission. If they find him, “it’s back to the realms of reality” (114). But Paul reassures her that Paris is still possible and Cacciato likely won’t be caught; he comforts her with images of Paris.

In the morning, Paul and Sarkin walk through the bazaars of Mandalay, searching for Cacciato. It feels good to be free of his military gear, and Paul buys new clothes and hiking boots. Sarkin feeds the pigeons, and they visit a traveling zoo. “[W]alking now, and not marching” (116), Paul drinks in the sights of the city and believes in them.

The men eat fish at a rooftop restaurant, dressed in street clothes and looking completely civilian, and strategize about searching for Cacciato. Oscar suggests they focus on places with alcohol and women, but Eddie says that doesn’t seem right. Doc toasts everyone. They pay the bill, and Eddie asks what happens if they find Cacciato. The lieutenant makes “a vague dismissive gesture with his hand” (119).

They search each day, and Paul enjoys puzzling over where Cacciato would have gone. He remembers Cacciato’s photo album with pictures of his parents and twin sisters. Paul struggles to remember who Cacciato was and can only come up with bits and pieces: whistling, chewing gum, smiling, going bald, willing but stupid.

Paul spots Cacciato one evening, dressed as a monk and going to Cao Dai, the evening prayers. Sarkin keeps asking which one Cacciato is, but it becomes harder to distinguish as the monks gather. Paul jumps into the crowd and sees Cacciato, but the other monks hold him back, bending his arms and sitting on his chest. He can’t breathe and passes out.

When he awakens, the park is empty, and his left arm won’t straighten. Sarkin is licking his forehead; she tells him he is brave for “[t]ouching the untouchables” (122). Sarkin literally licks his wounds, and Paul feels afraid, embarrassed, and, finally, angry. He asks Sarkin where Cacciato went, and she points to the train station, where they can travel to Paris.

It’s now three o’clock, and Paul wraps himself in his poncho liner, feeling the cold. He doesn’t wake Stink for the next watch. He remembers stories of attacks that came at this time of night, the darkest time. He tries to think of Paris instead.

All Paul wants is a normal life—a job, a family. He wants to look back later and tell them war stories. He thinks about how he’ll tell them about the chase to Paris. He imagines people asking questions about money and passports, desertion and other practical matters. He brushes past these incidental details; he could come up with solutions, answers to these questions, but he chooses to ignore them and focus on the important things: “Cacciato, the feel of the journey, what was seen along the way, what was learned, colors and motion and people and finally Paris” (125). He thinks the most important thing is that it can actually be done.