In the first chapter of Going After Cacciato, the main plot is established very quickly. A young, new member of the army and the third squad named Cacciato has gone AWOL (Absent With Out Leave). Lieutenant Corson orders the third squard to go after Cacciato.
The squad then embarks on a game of "cat and mouse" with Cacciato through the mountains of Vietnam. Every time they get close to Cacciato, he miraculously slips out of their grasp. The story is told from the perspective of Paul Berlin.
The next chapter is called "The Observation Tower". It is a short chapter, only three and a half pages long. I think that the story has either gone ahead to the future or has gone back in time. Also, even though the tense has changed, it feels as though time has come to a stand still while up in the tower.
The book continues to jump back and forth between the :"Going After Cacciato: story and the smaller :"The Observation Tower" story/stories. Somehow, "The Observation Tower" stories are relating to the "Going After Cacciato" story. They seem more philosophical. In these chapters, they also center around Paul Berlin and his time spent on watch late at night. Up there Paul Berlin contemplates the questions in life that were unanswered. The imagery in these are usually vivd, Paul Berlin seems to get his points across through nature.
So now we have two separate plot lines; one in the present, and one in the past or future. I hae no idea which it is yet. Then, O"Brien throws in another chapter/plot line. Unrelated to the "Going After Cacciato" story and unrelated to "The Observation Tower". These chapters appear to have happened in the past. They almost act as flashbacks for Paul Berlin.
It's getting a little confusing trying to keep track of the different stories and characters. We'll see what happens from here.
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