Ben Fountain’s novel, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
is remarkable because almost every scene takes place in the Dallas Cowboy’s
stadium, yet the reader is still able to see multiple plots develop. The climax
of the novel and what, on the surface, the novel appears to be centered around
is the half-time show that Bravo squad will participate in. Although it is
frequently referred to throughout the novel, at no point until the squad is
about to go on is it actually explained to them what they are supposed to do,
and when they perform they are left confused and frustrated. Billy Fountain
utilizes the halftime show and the suspense preceding it as an allegory for
soldiers returning from Iraq to show how the public only perceives these
soldiers and the war in general as entertainment rather than real people who
must lead real lives. Fountain first draws a comparison between the soldiers
unsure of what the halftime show will be and how the soldiers are not sure of
what they will return to doing after the war. The soldiers are don’t know what
they will do at the halftime show but trust others to let them know, “‘Yo,
Josh, any word on halftime?’ ‘Not yet. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear
something.’ ‘You’re gonna look out for us, right, Josh? Don’t make us do
anything lame’” (160). And just like Billy doesn’t know what he’s supposed to
do at halftime, he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do after the war either,
he tries talking to March Hawey, a successful businessman about future job prospects,
but Hawey instead, “Wishes his grandson were here so they could Billy and see
what a fine role model etc., etc.,” and Billy thinks, “How about a job offer,
that would nice” (216). Everyone sees Billy the soldier, the warrior, the hero,
but no one sees Billy the unemployed Iraq war vet. This doesn’t fit into people’s
mental sets because the moment they realize Billy is an actual person, then
they realize that war is not something to be trivialized or to enjoy. These
people ignore the effect war has on these boys, perhaps a reason why everyone
is always surprised that Billy is only 19, they view him as a superhuman, hence
the immense praise he receives. But the truth is, the war does affect them.
They are scarred into viewing normal occurrences in the context of war of
violence, like the “Fireworks crews to their left and right shooting off nasty
little rockets that hiss and sizzle like RPGs” (237). The confusion that
results by thrusting them into this civilian setting demonstrates the
difficulty these soldiers will have when returning to normal life. No one tells
them what they’re doing at half time, because they assume that since they are
soldiers, they can handle anything. However, it is because they are soldiers
that they cannot sympathize with the bloodlust and trivialization of violence that
has become mainstream in the culture they must return to. Therefore, the
halftime show and the lack of knowledge proceeding it demonstrate the humanity
of the soldiers and a nation’s refusal to acknowledge it.
This post definitely captures the idea that Billy is in many ways adrift in this world. He doesn’t have a job to come back to, and he isn’t nearly as certain about anything as others might assume. Throughout the novel he seems to be searching for something to cling to, some sense of moral or existential certainty, or “reality.” This is demonstrated through Fountains repeated use of the words “random,” and “real,” and Billy really struggles with this. Billy is constantly looking to find some sort of guidance or answers from those around him- he tries to talk to Dime, March, and even Pastor Rick, searching for some closure, clarity, breakthrough. Although his friend Shroom is dead, Billy most frequently wishes he was there to help direct him. However, I think Fountain praises this aspect of Billy’s personality. Ironically, in his uncertainty Billy seems wise beyond his years, especially in contrast with many of the contented, superficial, enthusiastically positive fans he encounters. There is, however, one moment in the novel when Billy comes to his own moral conclusion, which I think is very significant. During the scene when Norm and Bravo are negotiating about the movie deal, Billy asserts his own opinion. He says, “I think sometimes nothing is better than something,” referring to walking away from a movie deal with a man who has an immoral fascination with power and money (283). This conclusion also carries over to Billy's questions about whether or not to return to war, and ultimately causes him to return to fight, despite the fact that he likely will never experience a normal life with Faison.
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