Connected to Death: Richard Bausch - Katharine Schlegel

Katharine Schlegel

            A quarter of the way through Richard Bausch’s Peace, Marson listens to Asch as he remembers the death of his wife’s first husband, “(He) slipped in the bath. No kidding. Fell over and conked his head and that was that. He’d served us iced tea the afternoon it happened. Singing in the shower and the next minute: dead. It doesn’t only take war, you know?” (40). This passage shows Asch’s attempt to make the war less frightening by recalling a story from his past, and becoming apathetic to death. The novel suggests that soldiers use stories to make war less ominous by distorting the atrocities witnessed while serving in the military. Marson, Asch, and the others often demonstrate this when remembering the murder of the German woman at the beginning of the story. The quote above shows that trivializing the horrors of war began before the soldiers even started up the mountain.

            Asch simplifies death; he retells the story of his wife’s late husband as if the incident was inconsequential. He uses phrases like “conked his head” and “singing in the shower” to maintain a lighthearted tone while talking about a nice guy’s instantaneous death. The theme of this particular story reminds Asch that death occurs regardless of one’s location, but his current location is a constant reminder that his chance of dying is amplified.

            In Asch’s final statement, “It doesn’t only take war, you know?” he expresses a desire for understanding. Asch automatically connects to the other soldiers through their shared military experience, but he longs for a human connection. He tries to achieve this by sharing his experiences through his stories. The soldiers on the mountain attempt to understand death from a militaristic perspective, while maintaining their humanity.