War, in whatever form it may be, significantly affects an individual’s life and postwar identity. The experiences one must endure place a tattoo, an imprint on one’s past and future. This permanent marker of the atrocities of war and of the psychological effects of violence remains with a soldier throughout his or her life. In the novel, The Things They Carried, narrator and protagonist, Tim O’ Brien, uses his gift of pen to illustrate his personal experience in the Vietnam War. His collection of stories, blurred by lines of fact and fiction, highlights the importance of the act of storytelling rather than the objective truth of a war story. From the outset of the novel, Tim O’ Brien uses his literary knowledge and love for diction to bring …show more content…
As a father, educator, and successful author he reflects on the Vietnam War throughout various chapters of the novel. However, he faces another hardship, accepting the memories of his past. In a first attempt, O’ Brien makes use of storytelling as solace and as means of coming to terms with the horrors of Vietnam. For example, in the chapter, “ Speaking of Courage,” O’ Brien uses several layers of narration to tell the story of fellow soldier, Norman Bowker, and his emotional attachment to Kiowa’s death. Rather than focusing on Kiowa’s death itself, O’ Brien illuminates how Norman Bowker deals with the grief and guilt of the event. By including phrases such as, “Circling the lake, Norman Bowker remembered how his friend Kiowa had disappeared under the waste and water,” and “I let the guy go,” O’ Brien emphasizes the culpability left by Vietnam. “Speaking of Courage” explores the way storytelling recalls the pain of a war experience and highlights memories that were never forgotten. Additionally, O’ Brien further exemplifies the difficulty of accepting past memories in the chapter, “Field Trip.” During this section of the novel, the narrator returns to the site of Kiowa’s death with his daughter, Kathleen. At this moment, he reflects on the previous times and compares his memories to that of the significantly changed site. The inclusion of Kiowa’s death as a significant event in both “Speaking of Courage” and “Field Trip” not only calls attention to the narrator’s burdens, but also to the greater importance of