Justin Barnharst Language Arts Mrs. Waring June 1, 2015 Thematic Essay The book, The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, is a story that is full of emotion and tragedy due to the horrors of the Vietnam War. War in general is a terrible thing for anyone to go through, as you would either be traumatized for life from your fellow soldiers being killed, or you would be killed yourself in a horrific way. The point being, war is far from being fun, or to look cool, but rather it is a sacrifice of the soldier’s emotions and physical being. The book talks a great deal of fear, as Tim O’Brien has stated from numerous characters in his book, and how, despite seemingly courageous an act may seem, it can be, and most likely is a very frightening thing …show more content…
Tim O’Brien and Jean Dartemont both are traumatized by the events the war had to offer them, and they both acknowledge that war is no joking matter. Any type of traumatizing event, such as a war, can greatly affect a person’s mental and emotional well being, and it would really mess them up (make them paranoid, develop an anxiety disorder, etc). One statement that Tim mentions is, “I survived, but it's not a happy ending. I was a coward. I went to the war”. Basically, O’Brien did not stick up for himself or try any other way of getting out of the war. He therefore calls himself a coward because he felt like he had no control over the situation, when in reality, Tim did and could have made a better choice. The same thing goes for Jean Dartemont, as he could have at least thought about what he was getting himself into instead of just jumping right in thinking it will be a great adventure. Both characters of both books are in the end extremely affected by their two different wars, and this is a part of them for the rest of their lives. They both realized war isn’t a game, and that it can cause an extreme amount of fear for anyone that goes through a war, no matter how brave they