Character Analysis
Don't Mess with Marla
Marla's pretty much the living embodiment of "don't judge a book by it's cover." Because Marla's initially described as simply good-looking—"a tall blonde." (1.36)—you might to be tempted to think of her a just a piece of eye candy.
But Birdy just describes her this way because he hasn't seen her in action. She shoots a gun better than him, and she's the one who spots combatants first and yells "contact!" so the others know where to shoot.
In other words, she keeps them alive like it's nbd.
Marla also likes to mess with people. She's tough, and she likes to give people around her a hard time, to the point where Captain Coles gets mad at her for disrespect.
We get a hint of why she's like this late in the book, when she tells Birdy about growing up in foster care:
All I know was I was going from foster home to foster home. Once in awhile I would be in a group home. I guess I wasn't cute enough to be adopted. (14.112)
No wonder she's always on the offense.
Marla and Birdy, Sitting in a Humvee
Marla especially likes to mess with Birdy. Over the course of the book, she gives him a nickname and makes fun of his shooting ability, skin color, possible virginity, and how quiet he is. You'd think Birdy would hate her by the end, but the more they get to know each other, the less it bothers him.
And it's not like she's all flame and no warmth. After Birdy shoots Miller's attackers, she knows how bad he feels without him having to say anything:
Later Marla came in and sat with me. "You need to be with somebody, let it be me," she said. (14.144)
That's the funny thing about Marla's relationship with Birdy. She'll tease him like a ten-year-old with a crush, but when the going gets tough, she's there for him like a close friend.
War-Courage, Love-Fear
Both Marla and Birdy have been through a lot in the war, but Marla's had it tough her whole life. One of her foster homes had her "doing most of the cooking" (10.107), and she refers to another foster family as good because, "At least I didn't have to fight her husband off" (14.114).
Shudder. That's a pretty low standard.
Her life experience is probably why she's not as eager as Birdy to jump into a relationship. When Birdy tells her he loves her, she points out that you automatically love soldiers you fight with. But she adds,
"It's all I have the courage to deal with right now." (15.43)
Hmm. Sounds like she might have feelings for Birdy that she's pushing aside on purpose. Marla's brave on a mission, but when it comes to her own feelings? She might (understandably) be kind of a chicken.