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Summary Of The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

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Over 9 million military personnel served in the Vietnam War, one of, if not the most, controversial wars in American history. Studies conducted in 1968, before and after the presidential election, showed that the majority of people believed that entering the war was a mistake. As well as this, the studies also showed that nearly 60 percent of people believed that America should pull its troops out of Vietnam, either by an active effort to end the war or by pulling out entirely (Lau 474). Despite the fact that it was perhaps the most controversial military operation in history, 75 percent of the total forces in Vietnam were volunteers (Hall 25). This begs the question, what led these soldiers to serve in a war that nearly half the country …show more content…

“On the Rainy River,” further explores the theme of shame that, “The Things They Carried,” introduced by giving background information about Tim O’Brien. The short story is about the conflicted choice that O’Brien has to deal with, either ignoring the draft, risking the judgment of his family and friends, or accepting the call and renouncing his morals (On the Rainy River 162). O’Brien’s unique use of storytelling, for example, the structure in “The Things They Carried,” highlights how cowardice and courage are interchangeable given a different perspective. For example, from the perspective of the audience it is generally presumed that when O’Brien finally decided to fight in the war, that he never believed in, it was because he was courageous. However, the audience learns that O’Brien believed that by joining the war, he betrayed his morals, and he harshly claims that he was a coward for doing so (On the Rainy River 163). Motivation to join the war was not the only thing that O’Brien highlighted, as he also highlighted soldiers being considered cowards by their fellow men in …show more content…

At the beginning of the story, the soldiers in the unit believe that dying in this war would be honorable and even courageous. It becomes apparent as the story progresses that this is nowhere near the case as one of the least respected soldiers, Ted Lavender dies. Lavender, considered a coward by the rest of the unit, is shot in the head by a sniper as he is walking back to the group (O’Brien 570). His death was the first in the unit and began to open the eyes of the other soldiers. Because his death showcased the opposite of what the other soldiers thought, that dying in war would make you courageous, the importance of perspective begins to unravel. As the soldiers realize this they begin to feel shame, Jimmy Cross blames himself for the death of Lavender, and Kiowa feels a sort of shame in that he cannot relate to this when he feels like he should (O’Brien

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1365 Words | 6 Pages

He and Erik shared the same beliefs about the war, and they often wrote to each other while they were in Vietnam. Towards the end of the book, O’Brien wrote to Erik that all he had seen was “evil” and no good (186). This description of the war helps paint the picture of O’Brien’s own mind and belief that the war was nothing but pure immorality. Near their first meeting, Erik even described his own wish to escape the war and move to Europe to become an author (34). O’Brien also admitted to the readers that their coalition was mainly against the war and was created to try and preserve themselves (35).

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He feels guilty because he believes that his love for a girl named Martha and his tendency to follow orders from other people despite his better judgment caused the deaths of Ted Lavender and Kiowa, two members of Alpha Company. Mitchell Sanders- A kind soldier that has a strong sense of justice. He told stories for the men. He appears like a fatherly figure.

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Hunter Berman Ms.Silver AP English P-4 6/7/2018 The things They Carried Historical Report The Things They Carried is a novel written by Tim O'Brien about U.S. soldiers stationed in Vietnam and their personal stories of what they literally and emotionally carry. He focus on what the soldiers have on their person and how each of those items have an effect on them for reason specific to them.

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People get so caught up in what others think and expect of them that they let it completely control the decisions they make. The soldiers in “The Things They Carried” have a fear of looking weak and cowardice. They let this fear and their pride control them even if it is not what they want. Tim O’Brien, Norman Bowker, and Curt Lemon are examples of soldiers who let fear control them. The soldiers fear that the people close to them and around them will discover their weaknesses.

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The Things That The War Can Bring Out In People The passage On the Rainy River written by Tim O’Brien was a short story about himself, and it displays the fear of death, and the fear of shame that Tim O’Brien is experiencing no matter what choice he decides to make. O’Brien is afraid to die, and that is a big reason why he doesn’t want to go to war, but the main reason is the fact that he hates war. He is completely against it, and sees no positive side to it whatsoever. Additionally, he’s afraid of the shame that comes with going to the war.

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Upon the death of Lavender and Lt. Cross putting the blame upon himself, he had decided to burn his distraction (which was told to be the reason for Lavender’s death-it could have been prevented) alongside disregarding his good luck pebble from Martha, a symbol O’Brien had used to depict classification for Cross. Thus, in this sequence, as Cross had “renewed” himself from distraction, it can be relatable to O’Brien as he represents Lt. Cross not with a pebble nor Martha, but rather a man who rehabilitated himself in response to the death of one of his men. Furthermore, throughout the story, O’Brien begins to categorize his fellow soldiers through the listing, indicating a weak relationship between everyone. However, as the story progresses after the death of Lavender, a conversing style of writing emerged (about Lavender’s death and how the soldiers were grateful to be alive), indicating emotional connection between O’Brien and the company amplified, such as when Kiowa noticed the Lieutenant being “…in some deep hurt [indicating]… The man cares.” Additionally, O’Brien, from there forth, begins to characterize the Alpha Company through their personal traits with phrases identical to, “For the most part they carried themselves with poise, a kind of dignity” or the general reactions and responses the soldiers produced before, during, and after a firefight including embarrassment and apprehensive sentiment to die and the jokingly conversing subsequent to the battle.

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To go into it, I’ve always thought, would only cause embarrassment for all of us,” (O’Brien 37). O’Brien succeeds at telling this war story because in the short story, On the Rainy River, he contemplates escaping the draft by fleeing to Canada or being a man and going to war. He knows that if he flees to Canada, he will be painted as a coward in

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O’Brien presents a variety of stories to present the complexity of war. “On The Rainy River” is a pre-war

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1008 Words | 5 Pages

The sight of blood made me queasy, and I couldn't tolerate authority, and I didn't know a rifle from a slingshot” (O’Brien 26). O’Brien had just gotten the draft letter and is feeling mixed emotions because he believes that he is too smart for war and it must be a mistake that he got the letter. He says that he hates pretty much every aspect of war, and he knows absolutely nothing about firearms. Later on in the story, when O’Brien has experienced some of the war, he said, “War is hell, but that's not the 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. War is nasty; war is fun.

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Lavender's death didn’t result in only pain and suffering, it was also inspiring: “He was now determined to perform his duties firmly and without negligence… He would be careful to end flank security…. He would accept the blame for what happened to Ted Lavender” (O’Brien 24). As painful as Lavender's death

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In Tim O'brien's “On the Rainy River” it is the story about a man who has been conscripted to go the vietnam war, a war which he himself does not believe in due to the fact that he believes “when a nation goes to war it must have reasonable confidence in the justice and imperative of its cause” by saying this I can see that he is against death and has a negative approach towards the idea of a war. Later on in the story he says “I was a coward. I went to the war. ”(pg.173) I disagree with the statement he made saying “I was a coward.

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Lieutenant Cross shows a prime example of a soldier mentally strained by the sense of responsibility. He feels responsible for his troop because he is the leader. In consequence to having Martha clouding his mind during the time of Lavender’s death, he suffers from guilt and feeling responsible for his death. In order to fix what appears to be a distraction in Cross’s mind, he burns all of his letters and photographs of Martha and proclaimed he hated her with love. “He realized it was only a gesture.

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937 Words | 4 Pages

Near the start of the chapter “On the Rainy River”, O’Brien receives the one notice in the mail which he had been hoping to avoid for the rest of his life: he is drafted and enlisted for duty in the Vietnam War. Long before he received the notice he went through negative warlike experiences such as hating boy scouts. Additionally, he feels as if there is no point in the war, but the people in his town keep encouraging him to go. Troubled with a large dilemma, he goes back to his hometown in Minnesota, pondering for days. Eventually, he thinks of himself as a coward, and he reveals that he “couldn’t endure the mockery, or the disgrace or the patriotic ridicule…[he] couldn’t make [himself] be brave...

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1061 Words | 5 Pages

This realization causes him to live with that very guilt that Jimmy Cross lives with - for the rest of his life, and for the rest of O’Brien’s. This is something he had not felt in the context of the war zone he was

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708 Words | 3 Pages

The short story “On the Rainy River”, by Tim O’Brien is an exploration of how guilt and the pressures of society can shape one’s decision making. O’Brien feels guilty about going to war in Vietnam which contradicts his principles and his dream of becoming a writer. In the story, O’Brien admits, “I was a coward, I went to war” (O’Brien 80); he feared how the people of his community, and the rest of society would view him if he ran away. He feared the external embarrassment he would face if he dodged his draft notice instead of serving in the war; the fear of being judged by society was too unbearable for him to face. During O’Brien’s encounter with Elroy Berdahl, he is influenced to adhere to a decision, however, he chose to conform to the expectations of society.

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