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Summary Of The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

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The United States of America conducted lotteries to determine the order of call to the military service in the Vietnam War for men ages 16-21. Many men were forced to leave loved ones and special people behind. “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien gives readers the inside look of what it was like to be an American Soldier in the Vietnam War. His memoir includes unforgettable images of a nightmarish war that people are still trying to absorb. The book is a set of connected short chapters that tell the stories of soldiers before, during and after the war. These stories show the harsh realities of the Vietnam War communicated by Tim O’Brien’s memory. O’Brien does not shy away from the importance of friendship during the war. Soldiers are …show more content…

“O’Brien writes, “Rat pours his heart out. He says he loved the guy. He says the guy was his best friend in the world. They were like soul mates, he says, like twins or something, they had a whole lot in common. He tells the guys sister he’ll look her up when the war’s over” (O’Brien 68). Rat had a very emotional connection with Lemon as a soldier. Rat loved Lemon and they created a strong bond with each other. It is very hard to let someone know how much someone means to you. It is hard for Rat to explain how important Lemon was to him and what relationship they had. Lemon’s sister doesn’t even reply to Rat because she doesn’t know how important Lemon was to Rat. The friendships created at war give soldiers hope. When Lemon died, Rat was a wreck. “The whole platoon stood there watching, feeling all kinds of things, but there wasn’t a great deal of pity for the baby water buffalo. Curt Lemon was dead. Rat Kiley had lost his best friend in the world” (O’Brien 79). This is the consequence of the strong bonds that are created with each other. After a close death, Rat does not know what to do with himself. He is lost without his best friend and his savior. His friendship with Lemon is what motivated him every day. Kiley is shooting a baby buffalo to show anger and sadness towards his best friend at war. Rat was an emotional mess and took his anger out by senselessly killing an innocent buffalo. Rat recognizes what is valuable during his time in the war. Friendships and love are what bring soldiers together creating happiness. Nobody outside of the battlefield understands the importance of friendship and love. Rat was angered by the fact that Lemon’s sister did not acknowledge the letter. Lemon’s sister does not understand how valuable Lemon was to Rat. Rat said that Lemon made the war fun and he was the most influential man in the world. People ignore what

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Curt Lemon was dead. Rat Kiley had lost his best friend in the world. Later in the week he would write to the guy's sister, who would not write back, but for now it was a question of pain. he shot off the tail. He shot away chunks of meat below the ribs.”

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During the War young men were taken away from fully experiencing their adolescence lives and were sent to fight in war. In the short story, “The things they carried” by Tim O’Brien, the narrator discusses his personal experience in the Vietnam War along with his fellow soldiers. He tells the story in an unusual way when he shares parts of his story from past and changes to present which allows the reader to feel the emotions and experience what each soldier went through and learn more about the characters personalities. O’ Brien uses an unusual narrative technique that allows the reader to visualize the experiences they went through such as death and guilt. Throughout the story we also learn more about the characters personalities and the importance

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He pulled off dangerous tricks in his past and he would even make up stories which caused him to think of himself as the tough soldier (O’Brien, 82). One day during the war a dentist came to examine the soldiers teeth (O’Brien, 82-83). Lemon was scared of the dentist, in-fact he did not mind blood or pain, it was just that he had bad experiences

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The book tells the story of soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War. The short stories are inspired by O’Briens personal experience while fighting in the war. O’Brien conveys his experiences during his time fighting into each short story. This book evidently exhibits an anti-war tone. “In this essay, author Tim O'Brien writes about his war experiences and how they affected his life.

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No Lemon, no Rat Kiley (O’Brien, P64). Furthermore, O’Brien created some of his characters with the intention of them being loosely based off real people in his life. For example, in an interview with Lynn Wharton, O’Brien states that the character Curt Lemon was based on an individual called Alvin Merricks, who died an instant death like Lemon (Wharton,

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In the chapter”Friends,” the author was able to produce a positive and distinct view of the war. He told the story through two soldiers who were fighting, but made a pact that they won’t let each other if wounded. At the this time, O’Brien had a positive outlook of the war .He saw war as a place that two people can be bonded together through the experiences they share. Throughout the book,he was able to talk about his friends through the experiences they share that encase feeling of love and

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