Good Night, Irene

Content Warning: The source material and this section of the guide discuss sexual harassment, war-related trauma, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The source material uses the outdated term “shellshock” to refer to PTSD and also contains offensive and racist language.

Throughout the narrative, Luis Alberto Urrea highlights the differences of Gender Roles in World War II by emphasizing the vastly different tasks undertaken by men and women, and his narrative also works to honor and emphasize the fact that even though women were forbidden from engaging in combat during this time frame, the female volunteers in the war effort endured just as much as the soldiers they were charged with supporting. Also, because the war takes place during the 1940s, Irene and Dorothy are shackled by considerable stereotypes and must endure a range of harassment whenever they enter male-dominated spaces. However, the women’s resilience proves their inner strength and emphasizes the fact that they have every right to serve their country in the same way that men do.

During the women’s training for the Clubmobile service, Captain Miller creates a sense of equality by telling the women, “[Each] one of you people is just as heroic as GI Joe” (25).