The Things They Carried Character Analysis

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William Timothy O’Brien was born on October 1, 1946. As a young man he rallied against the Vietnam war. However sometimes later he got the draft notice. He was torn between going, therefore leaving his convictions aside; or deserting and face the embarrassment he would cause to his family, friends. He decided to go, and fought in the Vietnam war. When he got back, he started writing different stories that put together created a book: “The things They Carried”. “The Things They Carried,” is a book composed of twenty-two stories. The most interesting part is that, he eliminates the thin line that exist between fact and fiction. Everything gets mixed up. For example the name of the narrator and the protagonist is Tim O ' Brien. The book is a collection of stories not novels. …show more content…

There are just stories about Vietnam War, and each of them has an important theme and characters. The main characters are Tim O ' Brien, Iimmy Cross, Mitchell Sanders and Kiowa. Tim O’Brien is both the narrator and protagonist of “The Things They Carried”. As he goes into the war, he is scared and afraid of the embarrassment he could cause if he would suddenly leaves. He leaves the war full of guilt and decides to write stories about Vietnam to ease the painful memories of his past. Jimmy Cross is an immature character. He is too immature to handle and to understand the war. Mitchell Sanders is a likable character. He is very a good friend and he also has a sense of loyalty and justice. Finally Kiowa is an honest and compassionate friend. Kiowa death really brought tears to my eyes because it makes you understand the tragedy of