Forgotten War: American Reflections on the Korean War

Abstract

The presented thesis examines the American cultural reflections on the Korean War in selected novels and their movie adaptations. The first theoretical chapter provides a historical and political context of the Korean War explaining the developments leading to the conflict and then the conflict itself. The second chapter then discusses the American Cold War policy relevant to the Korean War, the politics of the U.S. involvement, and finally the public attitudes toward the conflict. The analytical part that follows explores the depiction of the Korean War in The Bridges at Toko-Ri by James A. Michener, The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon, and The Martyred by Richard E. Kim.