The “sweetheart” in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong is an American girl by the sweet name of Mary Ann Bell. Her description identifies her as the stereotypical girl of the late 60's early 70's. We are introduced to her as a “cute blonde” wearing “white culottes and this sexy pink sweater” (p.102). She is “a tall, big-boned blonde,/long legs and blue eyes and a complexion like strawberry ice cream. Very friendly, too” (p.93). …showed first 75 words of 736 total…

…showed last 75 words of 736 total…pink sweater, and a necklace of human tongues. She was dangerous. She was ready for the kill”(p.116). Mary Anne comes in as this assumingly frail child of American conventionalism and the story ends with her becoming the ideal killing machine. This shows how culture can change a person. During the Vietnam War, this change took place to thousands of soldiers. They were not born to kill, but to live, but they learn to kill.