An Emotional War In the short story, “Where Have You Gone Charming Billy” the author Tim O’Brien writes about the war. In order to make his readers understand what the war is like, he describes how emotional, depressing, and terrifying the war is. During the war it’s very emotional for them to be in that kind of environment. It can be depressing for a soldier to see so many people dying. They could be terrified of losing their lives. These are some ways Tim O’Brien tries to explain what the war is like. War to some people might not be emotional, but to the soldiers it is. It's hard for us to imagine how many emotions can go with the war. Tim O’Brien tries to make people understand how emotional the war is in his stories. For the soldiers it can be very sad for them to see so many people they know get killed, especially a close friend. “[...] but Billy Boy kept bawling, tightening up, his face going pale and transparent and his veins popping out” (O’Brien 202). They have to be able to control their emotions because they could be angry or sad about something. They have to be able to move on in order to survive. This is one way Tim O’Brien explains what being in the war is like. …show more content…
Seeing close friends die is emotional, but also can be depressing. It can be something that affects a person after the war too. Not only is it depressing to see people die but also to kill a person. “I'll watch him walk toward being his shoulders slightly stooped his head cocked to the side and he'll pass within a few yards of man and suddenly smile at some secret thought and then continue up the trail” (How). Its also depressing for the soldiers to be away from their families. This is another way Tim O’Brien explains the
Oliwia Parafinska Ms. Haughey English Composition 102 28 April, 2023 Essay 3 Dealing with heavy emotions after traumatic life experiences is a tough feat, especially in situations that army soldiers go through. When taking a deeper look into the situation, it is clear that repression of emotions occurs more often than not. Pushing aside feelings seems like an easy, temporary escape, however, this repression has tremendous consequences on the psyche. In “The Things They Carried”, Tim O’Brien establishes the difficulty that soldiers in the Vietnam War have in terms of dealing with their emotional baggage which comprises grief along with fear.
The struggle of war is more than a physical struggle. It is the emotional and moral struggles that weigh soldiers down even after the war. In O’Brien’s chapter “On the Rainy River,” he experiences different thoughts on whether
War’s Reality We as humans find conflict to be rash and futile, but to the soldiers that fight for our freedom, it is an honor and a privilege, but it is dreadful nonetheless. We are going to be discussing Tim O'Brien's intentions in writing the short story “Where Have You Gone Charming Billy.” It is my understanding that he wrote the story to tell us about war as it is hard to imagine its entirety and that war takes lives. Finally, I believe that he wants us to see how dangerous and terrifying war really is.
Obrien perfectly describes the duality of war saying, “war is nasty; war is fun” and “war makes you a man; war makes you dead” (76). War has many positives for some men, and it gives them a chance to honor their country. War is also horrible and leads to the death of countless young men with bright futures ahead. O’Brien uses the story of the water buffalo to describe all the emotions described in the description of war. The shooting of the water buffalo shows how desensitized soldiers become due to the mindless killing of Vietnam.
Rhetorical Analsys Novelist, Tim O'Brien, in his anecdote, "Style", connects the effects of war on both the soldiers and the victims. O'Brien's purpose is to reveal the dark contrast of the war-hardened soldiers, and the ravaged victims. He adopts a objective tone in order to convey the normality of the war and all of the death and pain brought on by it. O'brien opens his anecdote by describing the village, the dancing girl, and the soldiers' reaction to the dancing girl. He constructs the dancing girl while the soldiers walk through the blown up village.
He fought a war in Vietnam that he knew nothing about, all he knew was that, “Certain blood was being shed for uncertain reasons” (38). He realized that he put his life on the line for a war that is surrounded in controversy and questions. Through reading The Things They Carried, it was easy to feel connected to the characters; to feel their sorrow, confusion, and pain. O’Briens ability to make his readers feel as though they are actually there in the war zones with him is a unique ability that not every author possess.
O’Brien goes into great depth in this small quote on how loss of innocence and war can affect people in the war. The quote “Often the crazy stuff is true and the normal stuff isn’t” shows how war is so different from what any human experiences at home. After that small quote he follows it up by bringing up how you have to use normal stuff to show how crazy these things are and how much of a pole it can have on somebody during a war. The way that war is treated for many is mostly the mental part that is struggling. But for many "War is hell, but that's not half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love.
,” another soldier yelled in return, “See what you can do until he can get here!!” The effects of war, as shown in The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, are different for every person. Not a single person is made the same despite the similarities in backstories. One never knows what he/she will do in a situation until they are faced with that decision.
Character Trait Paragraph In “Where Have You Gone Charming Billy?” by Tim O’Brien, the narrator demonstrates imagination in his attempt to distract himself from stress. An example of the narrator’s imagination is when he revisits memories “camping with his father” (1). This shows his original thought process; he is envisioning his father instead of focusing on the current war, he is thinking of a fun point in his life.
American Novelist, Tim O’brien, in his book, Going After Cacciato, illuminates the daunting effects of the Vietnam War by delving into the mind of a young soldier, Paul Berlin. The theme of discontinuity and trauma is revealed as the novel jumps back and forth from reality and fantasy. The book focuses on Berlin, on guard at the observational post as he recounts the tragic deaths of members in his squad and imagines a story of him and his squad chasing after Cacciato. The sudden change of scenes in each chapter creates discontinuities, contributing to a feeling of confusion. This is the author’s attempt to emulate the influence of war onto a soldier — disorientation.
In Tim Obrien’s text, Where have You Gone, Charming Billy?, the author invokes the theme of relative fear, what might be frightening for some may not be so for others. Private First Class Paul Berlin was new and inexperienced, being in an actual war is scary in itself. Even with training and practice you can never tell what will happen in an actual field of battle. The story shows how scary the war was. Paul Berlin experienced his fears throughout the entire story.
“Some men came through combat unscathed. Most did not. These men were somehow different from other men. They were said to have soldier’s heart.” (page XV)
Tim O’Brien’s uncommon ending sentence that have caught many people by surprise in the story, “Where have you gone, Charming Billy?” which was wrote as a historical fiction that revolves around the Vietnamese war. It leads you to O’Brien’s perspective on why war is bad. The story also shows how things are not okay, even after the war. O’Brien shows the realities of war through repetition of thoughts about fear, how soldiers deal with it, and the effect it has on their actions.
In the short story “On the Rainy River”, Tim O’Brien has an idea of fleeing to Canada and avoiding the war. However, he simply chooses to go against his beliefs and go to war. This action reveals him as a week-minded and self-conscious person. Because of this minute act, O’Brien lives the rest of his life in utter embarrassment and sadness (“I survived, but it's not a happy ending.
However, they are left with the memories of what they saw. Soldiers affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD causes them to “often recall and re-experience the specific trauma of war” (The Emotional Effects of War on Soldiers). This means that any type of thing that reminds the soldier of the war, will cause them to relive that moment. Whether it’s a loud noise, a crowd of people, or a weapon, even the simplest word can make them remember the exact feeling of the war.