The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien brings us a true soldiers insight into the horrors of the Vietnam War. O'Brien gives vivid and often gory examples of the horrors of war, from firefights to the horrible deaths of his close friends. Through these stories we learn the struggles of a young man, trapped in a war that he doesn't completely believe in. We learn about the men in his unit, theirs passions, quirks, tales of love, and equipment. They literally carried the equipment but this book was about more than that. They carried all of these things, including each other. They were brothers, maybe not by choice but by necessity of survival. O'Brien starts the book by telling us what each man in the unit carried. Though he is describing the military equipment they are carrying, the reader can relate with each of the men, sort of seeing their personalities through their choice of equipment.
O'Brien brings us his ideals of the truth. He tells us these stories, many of which are secondhand from the other men. Most of them are extremely detailed but obviously include various exaggerations. Many of these stories kept the men in touch with reality. "We kept the dead alive with stories" (226) They told not the stories of how the men died, but the amazing and courageous things that many had done before their time came to an end. This book might be seen as fiction to some because many of these memories and stories are embellished, but the deeper meaning behind the book is nothing but true and heartfelt. O'Brien tells of his childhood love, Linda, and how she died at the age of nine. He lies in bed and remembers himself at that age, remembers her, and the innocence that surrounded the both of them as they would skate on the frozen lake in the winter. "sometimes I can even see Timmy skating with Linda under the yellow floodlights... I take a high leap into the dark and come down thirty years later, I realize it is as Tim trying to save Timmy's life with a story"(233). He realizes at an older age that retelling and reliving these stories in his mind is the best way to keep those friends of his alive. They will always be with him, even after death.
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The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien brings us a true soldiers insight into the horrors of the Vietnam War. O'Brien gives vivid and often gory examples of the horrors of war, from firefights to the horrible deaths of his close friends. Through these stories we learn the struggles of a young man, trapped in a war that he doesn't completely believe in. We learn about the men in his unit, theirs passions, quirks, tales of love, and equipment. They literally carried the equipment but this book was about more than that. They carried all of these things, including each other. They were brothers, maybe not by choice but by necessity of survival. O'Brien starts the book by telling us what each man in the unit carried. Though he is describing the military equipment they are carrying, the reader can relate with each of the men, sort of seeing their personalities through their choice of equipment.
ReplyDeleteO'Brien brings us his ideals of the truth. He tells us these stories, many of which are secondhand from the other men. Most of them are extremely detailed but obviously include various exaggerations. Many of these stories kept the men in touch with reality. "We kept the dead alive with stories" (226) They told not the stories of how the men died, but the amazing and courageous things that many had done before their time came to an end. This book might be seen as fiction to some because many of these memories and stories are embellished, but the deeper meaning behind the book is nothing but true and heartfelt. O'Brien tells of his childhood love, Linda, and how she died at the age of nine. He lies in bed and remembers himself at that age, remembers her, and the innocence that surrounded the both of them as they would skate on the frozen lake in the winter. "sometimes I can even see Timmy skating with Linda under the yellow floodlights... I take a high leap into the dark and come down thirty years later, I realize it is as Tim trying to save Timmy's life with a story"(233). He realizes at an older age that retelling and reliving these stories in his mind is the best way to keep those friends of his alive. They will always be with him, even after death.
the concept of a hero is set in this book. TIm O'Brien shows that in this horrible unjust war there could be no popular hero. There were no men trying to jump on grenades to save a platoon, just a group of kids trying to protect each other so they could get home.