What Is The Theme Of 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 conveys the theme that the burdens of war last a lifetime through the use of the literary element Characterization. The author conveys the theme primarily through the use of characterization. One example of this is on page 131 of the chapter entitled Ambush in which Tim O’Brien states, “When she was nine, my daughter Kathleen asked if I had killed anyone… It was a difficult moment but I did what I thought was right, which was to say, ‘Of course not,’ and then take her into my lap and hold her for a while.” This shows the toll the war had on Tim and the lasting effects of it. Even after the war is well over he is still being tasked with bringing it up and hiding the tragedy