Point of View and Paranoia in “Redeployment” Makenzie Duffee College

“Redeployment” is a collection of twelve short, fiction stories that give very accurate accounts of many soldier’s experiences in the war. Written by an Iraq war veteran, Phil Klay, this collection of stories reflects Klay’s own experiences between himself and members of his platoon. Through Sergeant Price, we see how returning home from war does not mean that the mind is at rest and paranoia is still a looming reality lingering in the back of Price’s mind.

When Price returns, we see he feels distant from his wife immediately and has a hard time adjusting to being home with her. She tries to integrate him into reality quickly and we as readers see how uncomfortable Price is. “I put a big grin on my face, but it didn’t help. She looked a bit scared of me, then. I guess all the wives were probably a little bit scared” (Klay, page 8). This hesitation stems from the paranoia that still is in the back of his mind. He tries to stay optimistic though about coming home, later saying that, “Even if it hurts, it’s good” (Klay, page 9). The next day, we see Price’s first real attempt to reintegrate into civilian life by accompanying his wife to the mall. Seemingly a very normal thing to do, Price finds himself hating the situation he has...