The fact that he was an aerial gunner could serve as one of the explanations for his insensitivity that was represented in "Saipan." It seems that distance makes it easier to murder, as they do not have to face the actual death, blood, suffering and the fear in the eyes of the enemy - all they need to do is release bombs from the sky. Ciardi's themes in both his diary and his war poetry reflects this assumption; he does not deal with topics as depiction of the enemy and their agony, but describes in details the planes, the sky, the mechanics and his fellow crew soldiers.

             It is no doubt that Ciardi suffered from trauma caused by the war experiences, despite the fact that his diary reflects a mocking, humorous tone. What are the reasons for his unusual perspective in describing war experiences? Freud's theory, Beyond the Pleasure Principle, provides answers and explanations for a psychological analysis of Ciardi's works. The theory describes the different instincts that affect individuals such as personal confrontations of loss of life or trauma and the impact they have on human behavior. Generally, the pleasure principle is a force that drives a person to avoid pain and search for pleasure.

             An individual struggles between these two fundamental instincts: Eros or the "life-instinct" is responsible for self-preservation, harmony and creativity, as opposed to Thanatos, or the "death-instinct" of self-destruction, aggression and cruelty. Ciardi's confrontation of pain, repression and the horrors of war are projected into his diary and his poetry. How is the poet's internal struggle of the basic instincts defined by Freud mirrored in the themes and tones of his poems and his diary? What are the differences and similarities? How is he dealing with trauma in his literary works?.

             Going through such unbearable life experiences as American Civil War a person builds up a self-defensive system in order to protect the human spirit's survival.