The Flamethrowers

“He heard the faint whoosh of a flamethrower and the scattered echo of shelling. Combat was on the other side of a deep valley, near the Isonzo River. It was peaceful and deserted here, just the silvery patter of tree leaves moving in the breeze.”

This quote is important in two ways. It is the first mention of the “flamethrower,” a direct echo of the title of the novel. Secondly, this quote highlights the careful dichotomy between violence and peace—that thin line that Kushner explores throughout her novel.

“Later I told Ronnie Fontaine. I figured it was something Ronnie would find especially funny but he didn’t laugh. He said, ‘Yeah, see. That’s the thing about freedom.’ I said, ‘What?’ And he said, ‘Nobody wants it.’”

This quote highlights another quixotic concept explored throughout the novel: freedom. Chapter 2 deals heavily with various types or expressions of freedom. This quote reveals an oxymoron that Kushner will continue to navigate—namely, that people think they want freedom but once they have it they don’t know how best to use it and end up abusing it.

“Nevada was a tone, a light, a deadness that was part of me. But it was different to come back here now. I’d left. I was here not because I was stuck here, but to do something. To do it and then return to New York.”

Much of Reno’s internal narrative is connected to the aesthetics and emotions of a place. She believes she has to live in New York City in order to work as an artist, but she yearns for the landscapes of Nevada for her art. She is therefore of both worlds, but one much more so than the other. That Nevada can be a tone that represents deadness and light demonstrates how complex her relationship is with her home. Kushner implies that only in moving away and returning by choice can