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The Paradox Of War In The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

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In the novel The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, the author skillfully presents a paradox about war and how it is both horrible and beautiful. Through O’Brien’s vivid storytelling and sorrowful anecdotes, he is able to demonstrate various instances which show both the horrible and beautiful nature of war. Within the vulnerability of the soldiers and the resilience found in the darkest of circumstances, O’brien is able to show the uproarious emotional landscape of war with a paradox that serves as the backbone of the narrative. In the first instance, O’Brien explores the beauty in horror within the chapter “Love.” Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is overcome by guilt when Ted Lavender, one of his men died, Lieutenant Cross then finds solace in the …show more content…

As she becomes engaged in the war Mary Anne evolves to embrace the savage beauty of the land and is lured by the mysteriousness of war. Mary Anne’s presence represents a semblance of normalcy and beauty, contrasting with the harsh realities and horror of combat. This beauty lies in her determination to follow her heart despite the dangers surrounding her. Her interest with Vietnamese culture and integration into their way of life reveals both the allure and the terrifying consequences of war. The beauty lies in her curiosity and willingness to embrace new experiences, even in the midst of a war zone. This transformation of Mary Anne captures the separation of beauty and horror in war. Her initial innocence and curiosity represent the beauty of human resilience and the pursuit of love and connection, even in the worst of circumstances. But, as she dives into the darkness of the war environment, she reflects the horrors of war which can strip away innocence, humanity, and …show more content…

Although the soldier he killed was an enemy soldier, instead of vilifying him he was able to humanize the man. O’Brien was able to describe the physical appearance of the soldier and imagine her life before war. The author was able to portray an emotional connection and made the line between friend and enemy almost vanish. This was able to reveal the natural beauty of shared humanity even in the context of war’s horror. O’Brien is able to find the beauty in the midst of this tragic and horrible event. This portrayal reveals the shared humanity of the soldiers on both sides and how in war beauty and horror

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1041 Words | 5 Pages

Costing him the life of his friend and brother in combat, Ted Lavender. He never would forgive himself for Lavender’s death, how could he? These men were his responsibility and he was more focused on a girl on the other side of the earth. He felt the weight of guilt crawl slowly up his back and make it’s home deep in his rucksack, never to be relieved. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross wanted to find a way to ease his grieving heart.

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598 Words | 3 Pages

Mary Anne Bell was a young girl who was brought to Vietnam by her boyfriend Mark. She was known to be, “coy and flirtatious” (O’Brien 91). She was always curious, asking lots of questions about things. She started to get more distant from Mark.

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The more Mary Anne was there the more comfortable she got and she started to become out of control. The soldiers had no idea who she was becoming and they knew it was because of the war, “For a long while the girl gazed down at Fosse, almost blankly, and in the candlelight her face had the composure of someone perfectly at peace with herself” (O’Brien, 105). Rat Kelly’s memory recalled Mary Anne changing while she was in Vietnam. She started to kill and turn into someone other than when he first emt, but her attitude was still there that everyone loved. O’Brien shared this story readers understand that the war can change anyone and

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746 Words | 3 Pages

Tim O’Brien is a novelist and a retired soldier from the Vietnam War. He wrote a semi-autobiographical novel titled, The Things They Carried, in a format that seemed as if we were in the novel itself. As readers continue with this novel one can envision and have the impression of deaths and all the effects war has on a soldier from the war. O’Brien explores the effect of war on an individual through fictionalized stories he tells in this novel in order to show how humans can change through drastic events that happen to them due to the war. Being in a war affects the way we think and the people we love.

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1078 Words | 5 Pages

This element of storytelling has the power to shape the listener’s opinions on the war as he explains his version. He describes how the war is a gruesome place, and has the power to also change perceptions and morals. For example, through storytelling, he can alter the idea of beauty in death. This seemingly contradictory idea is made sense through the death of Curt Lemon. O’Brien uses the death of Curt Lemon, a soldier in his platoon, and turns it into a “love story”.

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683 Words | 3 Pages

Tim Lavender is shot and killed, and Jimmy feels responsible. He is always thinking about the girl of his dreams Martha, and wondering if she loves him the way he loves her. “He pictured Martha’s smooth young face, thinking he loved her more than anything, more than his men, and now Ted Lavender was dead because he loved her so much and could not stop thinking about her. ”(6) Jimmy Cross feels that because he was so distracted and loved someone who he isn't sure feels the same, more than the men he is supposed to protect, that he caused Lavender's death.

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1070 Words | 5 Pages

This story tells of the exaggerated facts of the Vietnam War through the eyes of a foot soldier. He combines the work of fiction and nonfiction to bring attention to certain details the audience may use to decipher the characters personalities. His historical take on the war and the isolation of soldiers gives O’Brien’s view on an American soldier's life. O’Brien is a Vietnam War veteran and plays off his many experiences; but even though he uses primary information, the reader still receives a doubt of what is true and what is false. The lack of glory and pride in the story can be referenced back to Jimmy’s social status back at home.

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Mary Anne Bell’s character shows how much war really changes someone. She was shipped over to Vietnam by her boyfriend, Mark Fossie, at just seventeen years of age. She was an innocent, young and pretty girl from Cleveland Heights. When she first arrived,

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739 Words | 3 Pages

Tim O’Brien’s book “The Things They Carried” has many stories of people's different experiences with war. The three stories (“The Man I Killed”, “Ambush” and “Good Form”) all have the same way of writing that makes it clear to the reader how they know the emotions of the narrator's trauma. How they communicate those types of emotion, and how the people around them reassure them. Susan Farrell gave some of her opinions off of it that she put into a review.

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2081 Words | 9 Pages

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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471 Words | 2 Pages

As O’Brien opens the story, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross imagines “romantic camping trips into the White Mountains in New Hampshire” (3). This reveals the escape that dreams provide Cross as night is approaching and another day of war is done. By dreaming of a serene location, it removes Cross from the realities of war and his responsibilities. In other words, the men,

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1103 Words | 5 Pages

Between the danger of firefights, the suspense of night raids, and the explosions of mortar strikes soldiers experience many near-death experiences. These experiences, however, give soldiers an irreplaceable rush of adrenaline and endorphins. Throughout the novel “The Things They Carried,” Tim O’Brien uses many different stories from his friends and his time fighting in Vietnam to illustrate the ups and downs of war and the effect it has on those involved. Through the use of different perspectives, he is able to give the full Vietnam experience ranging from the fun with group members to witnessing the death of a close friend. In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien illustrates how war can give soldiers a feeling of belonging, camaraderie, and

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999 Words | 4 Pages

O’Brien writes, “[t]hey carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried,” (7) conveying the feelings of guilt and remorse, which adds to the mental hardships of war and the effect it has on the soldiers. This can also be seen when Tim O’Brien is fixated on the fact that he just killed a man. It is as if time stops for him, he is overflowed with thoughts and shock, which triggers this sort of guilt and shame that he ultimately has to get over and move on because this is war. War has made soldiers unable to properly process anything because of the paranoid environment and quick rhythm of war. In another instance, O’Brien showcases the power of shame on life-changing decisions.

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Even after all these years, O’Brien is still unable to get the images of Vietnam out of him head, specifically of the man he killed. In the novel, he repeats the description of the man numerous times, almost to the point of excess, saying,“he was a slim, dead, almost dainty young man of about twenty. He lay with one leg bent beneath him, his jaw in his throat, his face neither expressive nor inexpressive. One eye was shut. The other was a star-shaped hole” (124).

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1906 Words | 8 Pages

The Wars is a symbolic masterpiece that illustrates the great impact war brings on the microcosm of society and how individuals juxtaposed to the war are affected. The novel itself requires active reading; because without it, the novel would seem very simplistic; however, after further examination, readers can evidently recognize the complexity of Robert’s character with the aid of many heteroglossic components, techniques, devices, and the reworking of literary conventions. Robert’s physical, mental and emotional journey he endeavours, followed by the constant re-evaluations of his truths and becoming a more proficient soldier, can be seen through a formalist perspective with the use of foreshadowing to signify Robert’s transition from a sane to insane soldier; the utilization of animal imagery highlighting Robert’s development through the horrific experiences of war; and the several themes in the text to illustrate Robert’s evolution as a soldier through his inner

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