Going After Cacciato: Chapter 17 Summary & Analysis

Following the events of chapter 15, Sarkin Aung Wan leads the soldiers out of the tunnels, through sewage, until they come to a ladder that leads to the streets of Mandalay. Paul Berlin walks through Mandalay with his fellow soldiers and mutters, “civilization.” Oscar Johnson notes that Mandalay reminds him of Detroit.

The narrative cuts ahead a few hours—the soldiers have boarded a trolley that will take them to the Hotel Minneapolis. They arrive at the hotel and order rooms.

The narrative cuts ahead a few more hours. Paul Berlin is sitting in a hotel room with Sarkin Aung Wan, who is clipping his toenails. Sarkin asks Berlin—whom she’s begun to call “Spec Four”—if they’ll walk through the streets of Paris together, and Berlin insists that they will, soon enough. Sarkin asks Berlin if it’s necessary to chase after Cacciato, and Berlin shrugs—“it’s the mission,” he says. Later in the evening, the narrator notes, “they almost made love.”

The next morning, the soldiers leave their hotel and begin searching Mandalay for Cacciato. Berlin searches with Sarkin to help him, and he navigates through markets, churches, etc. Berlin feels happy—the city is beautiful, and the sunset, too.