Literature is broad enough for each reader to have their own unique understanding of a certain text. According to Critic Roland Barthes, “ literature is the question minus the answer.” In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien Reveals the central question, what is the purpose of fighting in war, is there a purpose and meaning behind each death? By having a question and not the answer, readers make their own meaning of the text based on the details provided by the author. The central question and it’s meaning could vary according to the author, the reader, and the work as a whole. O’Brien addresses the central question by allowing readers to know what he thinks, feels, and sees. O’Brien tells readers the stories of who he loves, who he loses, …show more content…
O’Brien discusses being unable to understand why he must fight, and why the innocent must die. Even as O’Brien tells the story of killing another soldier, he mentions feeling regret and hesitation. O’Brien threw a grenade at a soldier and for a moment wished he could warn him. Readers may also view the central question as a mystery. With the details provided by O’Brien, the reader may feel sympathetic towards the soldiers. As the author tells his story of war, the reader may feel that there is no purpose of fighting in war, there is also the possibility readers may feel those who fight in war are noble and brave. Each story told about death may introduce a new perspective for readers and what they feel is the purpose of war and death. As O’Brien tells his story of fighting in war, he also reveals who he becomes and how it impacts him. The novel begins with a young boy in love and ends with a man who has experienced a great amount of trauma. Death in war reveals O’Brien‘s view on all he experienced. This leaves the interpretation broad for readers allowing them to follow O’Brien‘s journey and create