Vietnam In The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

Vietnam was a controversial War. People either agreed with it or opposed it. As tensions grew in the U.S, the American soldiers faced the horror of war. An experience filled with terror and suffering, but also filled with brotherhood. American literature has shown the struggles of the soldiers in the Vietnam War. Often times this literature pulls the reader in with stories to help them understand what life was like. Tim O’Brien is one of the most popular when it comes to this. In his novel, The Things They Carried, questioning morality, O’Brien gives first hand narrations of stories which show the impact of the Vietnam War on society.

Tim O’Brien’s life was filled with many wonders and success. O’Brien was born in Austin, Minnesota, on October

His works before were somewhat popular and he won awards for some, such as In the Lake of the Woods and later with The Things They Carried that became popular and won the French award Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (“Going”). When writing this book O’Brien used a special kind of narration saying: “I blended my own personality with the stories, and I’m writing about the stories, and yet everything is made up, including the commentary” (Herzog 105). He went for this kind of narrative to help entice the reader and connect to them on a personal level. He provides this narrative to piece everything together (Silbergleid). O’Brien’s narration is meant to connect the readers . The Things They Carried is all about giving readers an understanding of Vietnam and the social issues. Events in Tim O’Brien’s life were impactful and helped shape his overall thinking and opinions. In O’Brien’s college days he attended political meetings (Herzog 5). He was educated when it came to politics. O’Brien even received his bachelor's degree in Political Science (Vietnam 22). With his knowledge of politics O’Brien knew he did not agree with the Vietnam War. O’Brien knew what he would be carrying and when he got there he live

With his knowledge of what they would carry and how it was wrong O’Brien thought there needs to be a change so he chose to defect to Canada. When it came down to it though he did not. Even with the knowledge he possessed there were other events in his life that made him stay. O’Brien’s parents helped with WWII (“Going”). With the shame he would get from his parents for defecting, he felt it would be unbearable. O’Brien felt because of this there was a need to stay and fight. In making this choice he felt himself to be a coward (Herzog 1). O’Brien says “My conscience kept telling me not to go, but my whole upbringing told me I had to” (Vietnam 22). O’Briens life played such a major role on his decisions about Vietnam and every event helped shape him into who he is