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What Is The Theme Of Where Have You Charming Billy By Tim O Brien

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An Emotional War In the short story, “Where Have You Gone Charming Billy” the author Tim O’Brien writes about the war. In order to make his readers understand what the war is like, he describes how emotional, depressing, and terrifying the war is. During the war it’s very emotional for them to be in that kind of environment. It can be depressing for a soldier to see so many people dying. They could be terrified of losing their lives. These are some ways Tim O’Brien tries to explain what the war is like. War to some people might not be emotional, but to the soldiers it is. It's hard for us to imagine how many emotions can go with the war. Tim O’Brien tries to make people understand how emotional the war is in his stories. For the soldiers it can be very sad for them to see so many people they know get killed, especially a close friend. “[...] but Billy Boy kept bawling, tightening up, his face going pale and transparent and his veins popping out” (O’Brien 202). They have to be able to control their emotions because they could be angry or sad about something. They have to be able to move on in order to survive. This is one way Tim O’Brien explains what being in the war is like. …show more content…

Seeing close friends die is emotional, but also can be depressing. It can be something that affects a person after the war too. Not only is it depressing to see people die but also to kill a person. “I'll watch him walk toward being his shoulders slightly stooped his head cocked to the side and he'll pass within a few yards of man and suddenly smile at some secret thought and then continue up the trail” (How). Its also depressing for the soldiers to be away from their families. This is another way Tim O’Brien explains the

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