War
The theme of war permeates every fiber of Absolution. Not all of the book is set during the Vietnam War; however, the effects of the war are felt for several generations. Each of the women profiled in Absolution has their lives irrevocably changed by the war. For example, Charlene lived with her husband, a higher-up in the military, for several years during the course of the Vietnam War. There, she meets a woman named Tricia. And together, they work to "do good" for the Vietnamese people. But their efforts are misguided and misjudged, learning to heartbreak and misery. Sixty years later, hoping to understand her mother and her family's past, Charlene's daughter reached out to Tricia, and the two talked.
Duty
Duty is one of the most significant themes in Absolution. Specifically, Charlene and Tricia's husbands show a tremendous amount of duty to their country and to their wives. Both were well-educated men who had a number of exciting career prospects before entering the military. Both, however, decided to join the military out of a greater sense of duty to their country. They both love their country and felt that it was their patriotic duty to help out.
Separately, Charlene and Tricia themselves are loving wives who feel a sense of duty to their husbands. However, over time, after seeing the troubles that the Vietnamese people are forced to go through, they feel a sense of duty (and a higher calling) to help them. They offer their help because of their kindness and generosity. Still, their actions result in unintended consequences that have a ripple effect across generations, showing the profound consequences that duty can have on a person and their progeny.
