Big Bertha Stories by Bobbie Ann Mason
"Big Bertha Stories" by Bobbie Ann Mason explores the profound impact of war on veterans and their families, focusing on Donald, a Vietnam War veteran struggling to cope with the psychological aftermath of his experiences. The narrative unfolds years after Donald's return, revealing his initial attempts to reintegrate into civilian life, which eventually deteriorate into isolation and erratic behavior. Through a series of bizarre tall tales about Big Bertha—a fictional, towering mining machine—Donald attempts to connect with his son, Rodney, yet these stories elicit both fascination and fear.
The story portrays Jeannette, Donald's wife, as she navigates her own emotional turmoil, seeking support from therapists and family, but often finding her needs unmet. Donald's inability to articulate his wartime experiences creates a chasm between him and Jeannette, leaving her feeling helpless and frustrated. As Donald's mental state worsens, he ultimately decides to seek treatment at a veterans hospital, likening it to a restorative voyage. The emotional weight of the narrative is underscored by Jeannette’s struggle to maintain a semblance of normalcy for their son, culminating in a haunting dream that reflects the pervasive impact of trauma. This poignant tale delves into themes of communication, family dynamics, and the enduring scars of war.
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Big Bertha Stories by Bobbie Ann Mason
First published: 1985
Type of plot: Domestic realism, war
Time of work: The 1980's
Locale: A small town in Kentucky
Principal Characters:
Donald , a Vietnam War veteran and strip-mine workerJeannette , his wife and part-time waitressRodney , their preschool sonPhan , a young woman who was apparently Donald's lover in VietnamDr. Robinson , Jeanette's psychologistMiss Bailey , a social worker who checks on Rodney and JeannetteJeannette's parents , the owners of a luncheonette
The Story
Set several years after Donald's return from Vietnam, "Big Bertha Stories" dramatizes his inability to escape from his war experiences. The third-person narrative states directly the confused thoughts and feelings of Jeannette, but it reveals Donald's deeply troubled mind only indirectly. Thus, Bobbie Ann Mason shows Donald's isolation—his intense but unsuccessful attempts to communicate the horrors of combat—as well as the pain his problem inflicts on others.
Immediately after his tour in Vietnam, Donald seemed to adjust easily to civilian life. He had a good job at a lumberyard, enjoyed driving his classic Chevy convertible, and married Jeannette after a brief courtship. They lived happily for several years after the birth of Rodney. About two years before the time of this story, however, Donald deliberately collapsed a stack of lumber to get himself fired, sold his beloved automobile, and began to behave unpredictably. Now Donald works sporadically operating a steam shovel in the strip mines in Muhlenberg County, and he sees Jeannette and Rodney only during brief, unannounced visits home.
On these visits home, Donald tells Rodney bizarre stories featuring Big Bertha, a tall-tale heroine (based on a huge strip-mining machine) who is tall enough to see as far as Tennessee and whose powerful belches cause tornadoes. These fantastic stories both entrance and terrify Rodney, and they sometimes provoke nightmares. Just as the Big Bertha stories display Donald's earnest but ineffective attempts to communicate with his son, Donald's conversations with Jeannette repeatedly show his futile efforts to share with her his experiences in Vietnam. Using detailed descriptions, hand-drawn diagrams, and even a food-processor blade to simulate a Huey Cobra helicopter, he tries desperately to explain what happened but always concludes by proclaiming that she will never understand. In one long monologue, Donald describes Phan, a young Vietnamese woman who was apparently his lover before her village was destroyed. Powerless to tell Jeannette what the war was like and what he is feeling even now, Donald is also sexually impotent.
Separated from Donald both emotionally and physically, Jeannette seeks help from several sources. She consults a psychologist, but his inane questions anger more than comfort or clarify. When Jeannette visits her parents' luncheonette, her mother offers food along with shallow advice (that Jeannette should pray more and Donald should seek the Lord). Later, Miss Bailey, a visiting social worker, inquires about Rodney's bad dreams and examines his unusual drawings of Big Bertha's breasts but cannot even call him by his name.
After Donald's attempted explanations become more and more tearful and his nights more sleepless, he decides to enter the veterans hospital for treatment. This trip away from home he likens to a sea cruise with Big Bertha—a long, restful voyage that will presumably heal him. Meanwhile, Jeanette returns to work as a waitress and tries to make life normal for Rodney with trips to the mall and small gifts. One such gift is a miniature trampoline on which both of them play. The story concludes with a horrible dream provoked by the trampoline. After bouncing on it one day, Jeannette dreams that she is jumping up and down on a pile of dead bodies.
Bibliography
Brinkmeyer, Robert H., Jr. "Finding One's History: Bobbie Ann Mason and Contemporary Southern Literature." Southern Literary Journal 19 (Spring, 1987): 22-33.
Flora, Joseph M. "Bobbie Ann Mason." In Contemporary Fiction Writers of the South, edited by Joseph M. Flora and Robert Bain. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1993.
Price, Joanna. Understanding Bobbie Ann Mason. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2000.
Ryan, Maureen. "Stopping Places: Bobbie Ann Mason's Short Stories." In Women Writers of the Contemporary South, edited by Peggy Whitman Prenshaw. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1984.
Wilhelm, Albert. Bobbie Ann Mason: A Study of the Short Fiction. New York: Twayne, 1998