Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific

Examine Leckie’s relationship with authority figures throughout the book. How does his attitude toward the Conflict Between Individual Will and Military Hierarchy evolve across the memoir, and what does this reveal about his personal development?

Compare and contrast Leckie’s pre-war identity with his post-war self. What aspects of his personality remain constant, and which undergo fundamental change?

Examine how Leckie depicts the process of dehumanization that occurs during wartime, both toward the enemy and within military culture itself. How do Leckie’s structural choices contribute to his thematic exploration of The Indomitable Nature of the Human Spirit?