In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien exemplifies a central question in the book. The central question is, “Is war more good or bad?” To an extent, O’Brien answered that question. The answer is almost clear. O’Brien’s book on some his experiences in the Vietnam War captures nearly every detail need to answer the central question.
Chapter seven in Tim O’Brien’s novel The Things They Carried focuses on telling a true war story and what it requires to be true. O’Brien begins with a soldier, Rat Kiley, discussing a letter he wrote to his dead friend’s sister. In this letter, he exaggerates his friend, Curt Lemon, which prompts O’Brien into questioning the truth. As he recounts the death of Lemon, O’Brien cannot remember what exactly happened to him; he understands what occurred and how, but fails to recall the details. So, he tells the story four ways, each focusing on one specific detail, like how the sun shined.
The Things They Carried, written by Tim O’Brien, is a unique account of some of the devastating stories and tragedies that occurred during the Vietnam War. O’Brien is no stranger to the war, which makes his novel that much more genuine. His tour of duty lasted from 1969 to 1970 as a foot soldier with the 46th Infantry in Quang Ngai province (Reed, 2008). One of the tragic stories found in The Things They Carried has to do with a man by the name of Kiowa who was the heart-felt member of the group around whom the novel focuses. To the demise of all of the members of the Alpha Company, Kiowa is slowly lost in a very long and harsh death that seemed to be unpreventable by any of his dearest friends.
The Things They Carried by American author Tim O’Brien, who was drafted in the Vietnam war, describes the experience of the American infantry fighting in Vietnam. O’Brien utilises various rhetorical devices to illustrate the immense emotional & physical burdens the soldiers were to bear to enlighten the reader about the true horrors of war. For example, O’Brien employs asyndeton & polysyndeton in sentences listing the many things the soldiers carried. “They carried Sterno, safety pins, trip flares, signal flares, spools of wire, razor blades…,” (O’Brien). The lists of items carried carry on, overwhelming & exhausting the reader of the physical burdens of war.
In Chapter one "The Things They Carried," by O'Brien has deeper meaning with the type of things soldiers were carrying with them all the time. In this chapter which took place in Vietnam during war time is very associated with the soldiers who carried emotional weight physical weight and psychological on their humps or in their minds. The purpose and the way O’Brien described the situation in the chapter tell us different aspect and reasons about carrying things with them or have to deal with it. It is directly correspond to the soldiers behaviors. It also shows that either the soldiers were adapted to the things they have to deal with by force or naturally.
The irony in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is crucial to understanding that the mental burden the soldiers carry are heavier than their physical burdens. Each soldier is required to carry their entire lives on their back throughout their tour in Vietnam. The soldiers carried not only weapons and the means of survival, but individual objects that are unique to them. While the individuality of the tangible objects that each soldier carried is supposed to keep them sane, it is these very objects that provides an even heavier mental burden of guilt and pain that eventually drove them to insanity.
Overall from all the readings that were given, a clear message was being told. That message was that neither side wins. In Mark Twain’s “The Prayer”, he makes it seem like war is glorious, but it shouldn’t be glorified when war itself is horrific. He explains a war prayer that was being told then finishes off the story by saying, “It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said (3)”. It was clear that the man making the prayer to the patriots of war was claiming that he is sending a message from god and that god is amongst them.
What Were the Things They Carried? In the novel The Things They Carried, the author, Tim O'Brien demonstrated both physical and symbolic objects that characters carried throughout their time in the Vietnam War. In the course of the novel, published in 1990, characters cope with sadness, sorrow, and the hope for love. Henry Dobbins is a solider in the Vietnam War whom is very superstitious.
Throughout Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried, the true scene of the Vietnam war is expressed through stories of the soldiers themselves. From the very early stages of the novel, O’Brien focuses on the question: What is the point of storytelling? He explores whata the purpose of storytelling is through the effect they have on people. As the art of storytelling does its work-feelings of sorrow, joy, frustration, and love come to the surface. The point of storytelling is never pinpointed in his book.
Rationale For this literature unit, for the novel The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien I will write a story about juniors similar to the way O’Brien writes about the Vietnam War in the first chapter. I will attempt to show many audiences including adults, younger peers, and family members high school through the eyes of a junior. This story will showcase emotional and physical concepts that juniors have to “carry” throughout school. I will try to replicate the grandiose writing style of O’Brien and apply this concept to my story.
“To generalize about war is like generalizing about peace”, words from the American novelist, Tim O’Brien. I inferred from his statement that the depthness behind these two intangible concepts is unfathomable. One cannot simply explain the who, what, why, when, where, and how’s of each concept without reaching a block. The novel The Things They Carried, was written in 1990 and is a collection of short stories from soldiers, each about the effect the Vietnam War left on them. The Vietnam War was a time where America was torn on whether fighting in the battle was the right thing to do.
The author was writing the story “The Things They Carried” expressed so many thoughts and feelings about what the soldiers had faced, they showed their feelings and duties, life or death, and overall fear and dedication. This story shows the theme of the physical and emotional burdens that everyone is going through in the war. By showing his readers what the soldier’s daily thoughts are and how they handle what is going on around them. Tim O’Brien expresses this theme by using characterization, symbolism, and tone continuously. In the story, physical and emotional burdens plagued several characters as they all had baggage weighing them down.
Your perspective is reality, true or not it is. However, when something happens and you your perspective is lost is it true that you lose your sense of reality? Or perhaps you don 't lose reality but rather gain perspective, which can be confusing in a whole other light. Author Tim O’Brien, through his narrative, The Things They Carried, emphasises the idea the perhaps there is no way to lose perspective; instead you are constantly gaining it causes more confusion while you 're still writing your story. But perhaps when you take a step back after you’ve made it through the mess the pieces (the memorable moments good and bad) seem to fall into place creating a glance “across the surface of my [your] history” (233).
‘The things they carried,' a book by Tim O'Brien is a collection of many short stories that includes an extensive range of complex characters that revolve around a similar setting and subject. A character analysis of the book revamps the critical thinking of the readers who witness a steady development of characters from simple to complex forms as the stories forge ahead. The development of characters in the book has been focused on a physical, intellectual, emotional and social development. The book contains many characters who are represented in distinct forms due to disparate reasons that enhance the reader's grip to the plots featured. O'Brien is the most convoluted and complex character in the book, mainly because we observe him at three
For example, the narrator repeatedly describes the weight of weight during the soldiers arduous journey: “Among the necessities or near necessities were R-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellants, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets...2-3 canteens of water. Together these items weighted between 15-20 pounds” (O'Brien 470). Subsequently, the narrator and his companions embark on a perilous journey all while facing
