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How Does Tim O Brien Deal With Grief And Loss

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Part of the human experience is dealing with grief and loss, it certainly is never easy but if one can learn to keep those who have passed on alive in their hearts, the grieving process will end in an appreciation for the life they lived. Simba, in The Lion King, is an excellent example of this; when Simba was a young cub his evil uncle named Scar planned to orchestrate a plan for buffalos to stampede his brother Mufasa and his young nephew Simba. Mufasa attempts to save Simba, but is ultimately thrown into a gorge. Simba witnesses his father's death and initially blames himself for the tragedy. Following Mufasa's death, Simba experiences extreme sorrow and self-doubt. He suffers from feelings of guilt and unworthiness, believing he is not …show more content…

To begin, in both books, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, both characters, Tim O’Brien and Holden Caulfield, have lost loved ones in their lives; these losses are difficult for both to process, however, they gain the ability to keep those they lost alive in their hearts, which greatly helps them in processing and understanding their grief. In the novel, The Things They Carried, all characters represent author Tim O’Brien or someone who once knew, therefore the perspectives on grief and death are true to his personal life. This is exemplified when O’Brien states, “But the thing about remembering is that you don’t forget. You take your material where you find it, which is in your life, at the intersection of past and present,” (O’Brien 22). This statement can apply to many situations, but in this context, grief. Tim, a Vietnam War veteran, has witnessed extreme amounts of loss of life due to his experiences. As a result, he has most likely developed a way to honor those who have died by moving forward while also remembering them, never forgetting who they were or the life they lived. This is challenging, especially in the context of war, …show more content…

Alongside gaining the ability to honor who one loved but also lost, a person can internally grow as a human. Tim O'Brien was just an ordinary kid when he went to fight in the Vietnam War, but he came out as a man. Yes, he experienced some terrible tragedies that no one deserves to witness, but he also learned to respect his life and the ones around him far more. Being so close to death allowed Tim and so many others to feel true humanity, “.the presence of death and danger has a way of bringing you fully awake. It makes things vivid. When you're afraid, really afraid, you see things you never saw before, you pay attention to the world. You make close friends with us. You become part of a tribe and you share the same blood—you give it together, you take it together,” (O’Brien 122). When things are fully ‘vivid’ it’s most likely true you’re going to see how important whatever it may be; in this case, it’s life itself. When Tim was so close to losing his life it made it more ‘vivid’ and so he was able to more easily see the importance of valuing it while he still had it. Seeing life for what it is and cherishing it by any means necessary is a wonderful take on life; sure, going to war to gain this perspective isn't ideal, but the results were very worthwhile. Holden Caulfield, after over 5 years of rotting as a result of his life's primary loss, Allie, was ultimately able to learn from his

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