In the second half of the chapter “Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong”, Tim O’Brien depicts the deteriorating relationship between Mark Fossie and Mary Anne, along with her transformation to the setting of the war. The relationship between Mark and Mary starts to take a wrong turn when Mary begins to gain a stronger feel for the war environment around her. She slowly becomes absorbed into the ambiance of the Vietnamese culture which causes her to engage herself into more war activities such as ambushing. The tensions between the two grows higher as the days passed, and “in the presence of others, at least, they kept on their masks” (O’Brien, 99). O’Brien’s illustration of their worsening relationship can be applied to those in today’s society. In front of friends and family, couples disguise their disputes with fake smiles to create an outward appearance that appears to be happy. No one wants to be caught by the eyes of others in the middle of a break up. In this sto...