In "The Armies of the Night," Norman Mailer contemplates the Vietnam War's impact on society and the role of literature in addressing such profound crises. He argues that personal literary expressions serve as the most effective response to the turmoil caused by the war. Mailer believes that writing is a means of understanding and grappling with complex realities, offering a form of clarity amidst chaos.

This perspective underscores the idea that artists and writers bear a responsibility to engage with the world around them, using their craft to confront difficult truths. By focusing on the importance of individual narratives, Mailer highlights how literature can reflect, critique, and potentially influence public consciousness during troubled times.