Purple Heart

At the opening of Purple Heart, Matt is awarded a Purple Heart, a medal that symbolizes heroism for most soldiers. At the end of his hospital stay, Matt gives the medal to Father Brennan. Why do you think Matt does this? What larger questions about heroism, and particularly the nature of heroism in the Iraq War, does his action raise?

Throughout Purple Heart, the author includes vivid sensory imagery—sights, sounds, and smells—that bring the Iraqi landscape to life. What are some of the images McCormick uses? How do these images help readers experience the Iraqi setting? Do they contribute to the themes of the novel?

Matt believes that if he’d never befriended Ali, Ali would never have worked with the insurgents and eventually lost his life. Do you agree with Matt’s assessment? Why or why not? How much of the responsibility for Ali’s death lies with Matt, and how much with the circumstances of the Iraq War as a whole?

Only two of the soldiers in Purple Heart, Charlene and Meaghan Finnerty, are women. Compare and contrast the characterizations of Meaghan and Charlene. What challenges do these two characters face as women in a war zone? How do they deal with these challenges?

Purple Heart includes many examples of U.S. troops interacting with the Iraqi locals. How does the author portray these interactions? In what ways does the U.S. presence help the Iraqis, and in what ways does it harm them?

For much of Purple Heart, Matt is in the hospital with a traumatic brain injury. How does his injury affect Matt and shape the events and themes of the novel? Why do you think the author chose to give Matt this specific type of injury? Does Matt’s injury have any larger resonance in terms of U.S soldiers’ experience in Iraq as a whole?

In the hospital Matt connects with a fellow patient, Francis, whose illness seems more mental than physical. Francis doesn’t influence the plot of the novel, but he seems to have quite an effect on Matt. Why do you think the author chose to include this character? What affect does Francis’s presence have on the overall thematic and character development of the novel?

Matt reflects that in Iraq, “everybody has a different idea of what’s right and wrong” (132). What definitions of right and wrong do different characters create throughout the novel? How does Matt respond to these definitions, and how do they influence the plot and thematic development of Purple Heart?