The Village

The Village

By Estela Portillo Trambley

Plot Summary

In Estela Portillo Trambley’s short story “Village,” a young American soldier named Rico reflects upon his morals in a situation of mandatory action in Vietnam. Rico’s actions thus reflect the true hero in the story, despite the rank of his superiors in the US Armed Forces.

In the beginning of the story, Rico is sitting with his soldier buddy Harry, looking over the village of Mai Cao. While talking about real fighting action and home, Rico thinks back about why he’s in the position he’s in. “No action yet. But who wanted action? Rico had transformed into a soldier, but he knew he was no soldier. He had been trained to kill the enemy in Vietnam. He watched the first curl of smoke coming out of the chimneys. They were the enemy down there. Rico didn’t believe it. He would never believe it” (436). It is also safe to say that Rico was a draftee in the war by the fact that Rico was transformed into a soldier but was not truly a soldier. If Rico was a true, devoted soldier, he would immediately think that the people down in the village below him were indeed his enemy and that he would want to see action as soon as possible. The instant Rico contemplates his reason for being in the war justifies the fact that he values his morals in the time of war.

Rico then proceeds to think further about his days in training and being taught what to believe. He reminisces about his family and his past back in Texas, and how the special bond held between people wasn’t limited to just the people in the States, but rather to all people around the world. “It struck him again, the feeling – a bond – people all the same everywhere… The woman with the child on her shoulder mattered. Every human life in the village mattered. He knew this not only with the mind but with the heart.” (437). It can thus be understood that Rico values and respects human life, no matter where in the world. Human life.

Rico’s morals are not compromised when he receives orders to destroy the village he was just looking down upon. After learning what is expected of him, Rico immediately has an urge to stop the orders from going through. This very notion proves that Rico will not tolerate his morals from being compromised. He feels that it is not his right to take the life of another human being. Even before he makes any physical judgments or actions, Rico already has the mindset of a hero.
Rico then goes a step further and stops everyone from taking a life in that village. He already knew personally that he was not going to take a life, but as he looked around himself and saw all of the other men around him armed, he knew that he had to take further measures for the sake of humanity. Rico then stops any action by shooting the hand of his superior before the signal to destroy was given. By stopping the order from the very hand which was to give the order, Rico saved an entire village from assassination.

Rico can be regarded as a hero due to the fact that he was willing to sacrifice his own rank and social position in the military than to let an entire village be killed over speculatory information. What sets Rico apart from the other men with him was the fact that he was the only soldier who questioned authority. He knew that his orders did not feel right or justified, so he solely stood up and made the difference. That is what truly made Rico a hero – not letting go of his morals and value of human life. At the end of the story, Harry says to Rico, “You’re no soldier. You’ll never be a soldier” (440). However, Rico knows that he saved lives and is perfectly content with the consequences he will face in the future. Thus, he replies, “I’m free inside, Harry…free” (441).