How Does Tim O Brien Use Symbolism In How To Tell A War Story

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The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a novel that emphasizes symbolism in chapter 7, “How to Tell a War Story” the character/narrator Tim O’Brien expresses The struggle that affects a soldier in the war. “He shot it twice in the flanks. It wasn't to kill; it was to hurt it” (O'Brien, 75) In Chapter 7 How to Tell a war story, the story expresses the grief that Rat Kiley goes through. Rat Kiley begins by trying to take care of this water buffalo, but when it doesn't eat it Rat Kiley begins to shoot at the baby water buffalo, all around it and purposefully not landing any critical shots so that the buffalo feels pain, and dies painfully and slowly, it symbolizes Rat Kiley’s internal suffering at the time and seems as though rat wants to