English IV
Mr. De Francisco
10/30/2014
Why did Bowker commit suicide? One of the scariest emotional experiences people suffer in their lifetime is to experience a severe form of depression. Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death for all people despite age, gender, and race. About every another veteran commits suicide. Fighting for life and survival, struggling to reach an objective, is one of the basic characteristics of human nature. Everyone feels overwhelmed by difficult situations sometimes and people at war are more likely to feel depressed. The Woodside High school 8 condition reason for Bowker’s suicide are: sense of accomplishment, confidence to take Action, and Leadership and Responsibility.
“Sense of Accomplishment: Being recognized for many different types of success. Including hard work and being a good person.” (Woodside High School 8 conditions) After Bowker returned from war, he can’t feel sense of accomplishment because, now he feels guilty about all the people at war, and he doesn’t find that as a type of success but rather as a type of shame “He feels pressure from father to win medal in Vietnam”(). That’s why he always refused to talk about the death of Lavender’s death and then all the sudden he became okay with it. “Confidence to take action: Setting goals and taking the steps you need to reach them.”(Woodside High School 8 conditions) Being a soldier is a tough life they have to work all day and night. In war you always have to take orders from your superior. After war Bowker could not set his own goals and he felt that he is not confident anymore. If he heard a sound