The gun
Throughout the text, Francis tells us that he is suicidal due to the guilt he feels after witnessing the rape of Nicole. He carries around a gun as he is hoping to find Larry and kill him, however, after Larry's death he still carries the gun around with him. Francis later visits Nicole and tells her that he hopes to go to college and write a book about his experiences. However, at the end of the text, he refers to the gun in his bag, which makes the reader question what he will do next.
Ping-pong
Francis describes himself as being a shy child with a lack of self-confidence. However, he is encouraged by Larry to take part in the ping-pong championships. After Francis' win he feels confident, happy and assured. He wins the affections of Nicole and the respect of his peers, which makes him feel noticed. These memories are later tainted by what happened to Nicole, meaning he does not remember ping-pong fondly.
Silver Star medal
The Silver Star medal is awarded to Francis after he steps on a live grenade and saves his platoon. As a bartender tells Francis, "only the Silver Star is for heroism." Therefore, to everyone else, this medal represents Francis' heroism and bravery. However, Francis himself does not feel like a hero. This is because he only signed up for the war because he wanted to kill himself, and also because he feels extreme guilt after what happened to Nicole. As such, for Francis, the medal represents the fact he feels like a "fake hero."
Francis' scarf and hat
When Francis returns to Frenchtown he does not want anybody to recognize him and therefore uses a scarf and hat to cover up his face. He does this as he is ashamed of how he looks due to his deformities and doesn't want anybody looking at him. In a symbolic sense, he also covers himself up due to his feelings of shame and guilt after having "betrayed" Nicole.
