“It was as if he were a really bad actor in some really bad war movie.”

Chance compares Brent Miller to a “bad actor” in a “bad war movie,” possibly alluding to criticisms that the Bush administration manipulated the September 11 attacks into a self-serving show. The repetition of “really bad” reinforces Miller’s awful performance and the transparency of the false narrative.

“Her binder is plastered with stickers that read WAR IS TERRORISM and WAR SUCKS. When she was a junior, she wrote an article for the school newspaper about the rights of gay students.”

The stickers allude to Judith Butler’s argument that terrorism is a construct–– dominant countries use the label to sanctify their violence and villainize the violence of less powerful nations and organizations. Melissa’s article on LGBTQ+ rights also implies a critique of the Bush administration, which supported the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA), a proposed constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

“Fighting isn’t the only way to be brave.”

Using blunt diction, Melissa addresses the motifs of bravery and cowardice. People can display courage without resorting to violence. Yet Deuker arguably undercuts the message as Chance’s dad becomes a hero through violence, and Chance decides to join the Army.