Pharaoh’s Army: Memories of the Lost War

In what ways does Wolff address the legacy of colonialism and the reality of imperialism as it relates to the Vietnam War? What does he say about these larger forces, and how do they appear in the memoir?

In Chapter 1, Wolff writes of witnessing and undermining of the national myth. What is this myth, and in what way(s) is it undermined, both in Dong Tam and throughout the book?

Wolff recognizes that he is an outsider, and much of the memoir is about navigating what that means. What are some of the ways Wolff demonstrates his outsider status? To what extent does he attempt to alleviate those differences?

Similarly, in his descriptions of others as well as himself, Wolff implicitly describes different ways of being an outsider. Who are some of the other figures, and how do they handle their outsider status? Does Wolff take a position in response to their approaches?

Wolff spends a lot of time floating between privileged worlds and more working-class worlds, both at home and abroad. In what ways is this a memoir about class and privilege? What claims does Wolff make about these forces?

What are some of the institutional forces at work in the memoir? How does Wolff work against these institutions? How does he work within them?

Compare and contrast Wolff’s first visit to San Francisco with his later visit. In what ways has the city changed? In what ways has he changed? How does this connect to a more fundamental idea represented in the book?

Is this book fundamentally a pro-war or anti-war book? Is it somewhere in between? Why?