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Summary Of Stop The Sun By Gary Paulson

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In “Stop the sun” by Gary Paulson is a short story about a boy named Terry and his father who was a soldier in the Vietnam war and about the trauma Terry's father experienced in the war and how it affects him now. Terry's father was the only survivor of a big battle in the Vietnam war, he hid underneath dead bodies to hide from the enemies and he knew that when the sun came up he would be found so he wanted to stop the sun from coming up so he could live. After all his trauma, he sometimes does weird things as a result of his PTSD which embodies his son Terry. But then after Terry finds out what his dad went through and why he behaves the way he does, he is never embarrassed by what his dad does anymore and he tries to be more understanding …show more content…

It really bothered him when his fathers eyes would go away, or when he would be eating and just stop half way “But what bothered him even more was when his fathers eyes went away. Usually it happened when it didn't cause any particular trouble.” (63). This is important because it shows that he was clearly embarrassed by his father, it really bothered him even though he can't control it. He didn't understand how much that trauma from the war affected his father and he didnt know all that his father went through. All Terry knew was that it was “Vietnam syndrome” but he didn't truly understand what it was and how much it took a toll on his …show more content…

At first his father was very defensive and would not talk about it. But then finally Terry's father told him what he went through. After his father told him he didn't really understand but he did understand that he didn't understand, and even though he would probably never understand he was going to try and understand. He wasn't going to be embarrassed anymore. Even though he still doesn't understand, the difference is he has knowledge now. “He understood only that he didn't understand and that he would probably never know what it was really like, would probably never understand what had truly happened. And maybe his father would never be truly normal. But Terry also knew that it didn't matter. He would try to understand, and the trying would have to be enough. He would try hard from now on, and he would not be embarrassed when his father’s eyes went away.he would not be embarrassed no matter what his father did. Terry had knowledge now. Maybe not enough and maybe not all that he would need. But it was a start.” (69). This is important because it shows that after Tarry talked to his father about the war, he didn't understand but he did have knowledge and he was going to try to be more understanding and accepting of his

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He thens contineues to to try and show that even though words are not adequate he can somewhat relate based on his own experience with his uncle and godson again using strong adjectives like torn, "killed and horrifically injured". He has now shown his compassion for the family members and moves on to trying to take them to

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Throughout the story, Tim O’Brien writes about things he carried from the war to his normal life and speaks about the difficulties of it. He carries things from the war to his normal life because of the PTSD he suffers from. He brings words from the war over to normal life because the words used in war have become the new normal for him whether it be good or bad, but either way, PTSD reminds him about the experiences using these words during the war. The story states, “He doesn’t know how to live with the guilt of the war. He uses words that he would only use in the war because he is not used to normal life after the war.”

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The soldiers in the Vietnam War are portrayed as losing themselves in the chaos and trauma of combat. Through the stories of the soldiers and their experiences, O’Brien explores the ways in which war strips away one's sense of identity and humanity. The author himself is depicted as losing himself in the war. O'Brien served in the Vietnam War, and his experiences inspired much of the book. Through the character of Tim O'Brien, the author explores the ways in which war can strip away one's sense of self and purpose.

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As he says this Lily can see the pain and hurt in his eyes and that he has been treating her life because he was still hurt over the fact that she killed her mother Deborah and the fact that before she died she was trying to leave T. Ray because he was making her sad and

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The real truth as he depicts it is nothing more than nameless faces lying dead in the street who O’Brien could do nothing for except look away. This truth does not allow the reader to understand what O'Brien and his fellow soldiers were experiencing at the time. It is a truth of the war, but does not truthfully depict what war was like. However, the “story-truth” in O’Brien’s words, “makes things present. [O’Brien] can attach faces to grief and love and pity to God”(172).

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O’Brien tells the readers about him reflecting back twenty years ago, he wonders if running away from the war were just events that happened in another dimension, he pictures himself writing a letter to his parents: “I’m finishing up a letter to my Parents that tells what I'm about to do and why I'm doing it and how sorry I am that I’d never found the courage to talk to them about it”(O’Brien 80). Even twenty years after his running from the war, O’Brien still feels sorry for not finding the courage to tell his parents about his decision of escaping to Canada to start a new life. O’Brien presented his outlook that even if someone was not directly involved in the war, this event had impacted them indirectly, for instance, how a person’s reaction to the war can create regret for important friends and

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¨Stop the Sun¨ by Gary Paullsen, is about Terry Erikson, a 13-year-old boy, who is an athlete with a dad who was in Vietnam and now has PTSD. Sometimes his dad will do things due to his PTSD and Terry doesn't know why, so he tries to learn about it. While Terry was trying to find ways to learn about Vietnam he couldn't find anything good so he asked his teacher, his teacher had some good info but he needed more, so bravely asked his dad about the war. When Terry's dad tells him about the war his dad starts breaking down and telling him about all the horrible things he went through, and now Terry learns a little bit about what his dad is going through. Through the actions of the characters, readers understand that Terry highlights that nobody should ever be embarrassed for having family or friends with trauma.

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The Vietnam War is engraved in the minds of soldiers from the war. In this story “Stop the Sun” by Gary Paulson shows us the horror of the Vietnam War and the confusing relationship with a father and his son. This story shows the horrifying truth of the Vietnam war. In this story, the boy’s name is Terry, and his father suffers from “Vietnam Syndrome”.

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This shows at the end of the day how much his father means to him despite all of the things he said and how he would do anything if it meant he could be well

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Tim O'Brien claims the people “ did now know shit about shit, and did not care to know” (O’Brien 27). Returning from war O’Brien can now comment that nobody knows what he went through, how he went against his morals to now feeling forgotten in the present day. Tim O’Brien’s fear of being ashamed of the people he surrounded himself with is now taking place. All the Life changing commitments O’brien made to go to war, are the embarrassment and sorrow he still carries with

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The surroundings, of chaos and gore and hatred, deeply impact him. (CE) There were some instances in his life where he is afraid to admit to his past and to things he had done in the war. (DE) In one instance he mentions something he could never tell to anyone, “Not to [his] parents, not to [his] brother or sister, not even to [his] wife” (O’Brien 37).

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The father snaps and yells, "Why can't you just be normal" as the child begins to wail. This suggests that when the child expresses himself to others, his father does not approve. He does not want him to act in this way either; all he wants is for him to change his ways because he worries about how others will see

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Knowledge of course, is always imperfect, but it seemed to me that when a nation goes to war it must have reasonable confidence in the justice and imperative of its cause. You can 't fix your mistakes. Once people are dead, you can 't make them undead” (38-39). Because O’Brien had witnessed so much death and destruction he knew how important it was to have all the facts first.

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(Forn 345). This is where the situation becomes surreal, shocking, and impossible from a reader’s perspective. However, the appearance of his father does not directly shock him, because the husband noticed “at that moment, he had the strange realization that he had become used to the idea of never seeing him again. . . .” (Forn 345). Here, the narrator elongates a thoughtful pause by adding “And” and “at that moment . . .”

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I went to the war.” (last paragraph 58) This helps us understand that going to war was not an accomplishment for Tim. He regretted not running away and hated that he went.

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