Henry Dobbins In The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

“All you can do is be nice. Treat them decent, you know?” (117). These are the calm words spoken by the character Henry Dobbins in the Vietnam War novel “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien at the end of a short but extremely believable section of the novel (113-117). This excerpt plays host to a conversation between the previously mentioned Henry Dobbins and a different character named Kiowa, with both characters discussing religion, the part that it plays into the kindness that people extend to each other, and the advantages of becoming a minister, all while sitting in a Vietnamese pagoda. Their dialogue and the events surrounding it all comes across as completely true by fitting the personalities and archetypes of the characters, setting

Dobbins in particular maintains his archetype as a gentle giant, with the monks of the pagoda nicknaming him “Soldier Jesus”, a testament to his tranquil character (114). Kiowa’s adherence to Baptism and overall religiousness is also brought to the reader’s attention, with the mention of his copy of the New Testament and his concern with his platoon having set up a base at a religious site (116). O’Brien also provides a convincing and rather relatable look into Dobbins’s religious background, with Dobbins describing himself by saying that “I believed in God and all that, but it wasn’t the religious part that interested me. Just being nice to people, that’s all” (115). Dobbins’s engaging views give the reader an agreeable opinion that many readers who also attended church as a child can relate to. By keeping Kiowa and Dobbins in their conversational “comfort zone”, O’Brien is able to give the reader a relatable and reasonable

A pagoda, like most religious buildings, is a place of peacefulness, so having a several page discussion on the topic of religion inside of it makes sense. If the discussion had simply occurred in a foxhole or during a patrol, the setting would’ve been far too uncertain and unsafe for such a long religious discussion. The conversation would’ve also never had a logical start, as Dobbins brought up the topic of becoming a minister by saying “maybe I’ll join up with these guys” in reference to the pagoda monks (114). Neither would the conversation have one of its key points, as Kiowa would’ve never mentioned his disgust at the military having set up in a church (113). By giving this religious discussion a sedate religious location, O’Brien is able to create a believably calm