The Deranged and Disturbed Walter

Throughout the film, Walter makes numerous references to his time spent in Vietnam during the war, and it appears that Walter can’t really seem to let go of his past. It’s as though the war never left Walter, it’s still there, lingering in the shadows of his mind and making its presence known in Walter’s out of place and obscene remarks: “I did not watch my buddies die face down in the mud so this fucking strumpet…” or “This is not ‘Nam, this is bowling. There are rules... Smokey, my friend, you’re entering a world of pain…” are just a few of the scenes in the movie that display this. One could go to the extent and argue that Walter is a bit deranged from the war, pulling a gun out in a bowling alley and threatening someone’s life over one broken rule. While it would have been okay to pull a gun on someone in Vietnam, back in the world of everyday society, it is not, and Walter doesn’t seem able to recognize this difference. While it may be that Walter in just an ignorant idiot, I think there’s a part of him that can’t let go of his past experiences in Vietnam, and he likes it better that way. He lets that be an excuse for his present behavior and perhaps, for Walter, Life’s just more entertaining that way.