The Making of War Victims in Kevin Powers’ The Yellow Birds

This paper aims at examining Kevin Powers’ The Yellow Birds in terms of victimhood and its function regarding soldiers’ culpability for atrocities in the context of the 2003 war on Iraq. Victimization is perpetuated in the time of war to serve pro-war narrative and justify violence against the other side of the equation. One party is made innocent and vulnerable while the other is shown to be capable of despicable acts and inconsiderate to any ethical standards. We investigate the position of American soldiers and locals in Iraq, both militant and civilian, and compare the novel’s approach towards their status as war victims. Americans and Iraqis are both victims of war in Powers’ novel, but Americans are its most visible and innocent casualty; their voices are consistently heard and their personal sufferings are untiringly detailed.