Immediately after Lemon's death, O'Brien notes Rat's actions: “Rat sends the letter. He waits two months. This idiot never responds. (O'Brien 68) Rat writes this letter in hopes of putting an end to Lemon's death. Writing the letter shows the emotional and innocent side that Rat possesses, like many other soldiers who entered this war without a choice. The use of the word cooze expresses Rat's wild side as "cooze" is generally used as a derogatory word towards women. Many soldiers developed an uncontrollable side and lost their innocence due to the violence of the war around them. Next, O'Brien notes that Rat takes care of the baby water buffalo: "He opened a can of C rations, pork and beans, but the baby buffalo wasn't interested. » (O'Brien 78) Once again, Rat offering a meal to the buffalo demonstrates his innocent side. His innocence is similar to that of the young soldiers who gave their lives to serve in the Vietnam War. Before the war, these men were innocent academics trying to determine their future and not fighting for their lives. Along the same lines, O'Brien illustrates Rat's brutal attack on the