Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how in his National Book Award winning novel, "The Things They Carried", Vietnam veteran Tim O'Brien conveyed the reality of the war by telling his readers in plainspoken language what it feels like to be afraid, what it feels like to kill, and what it feels like to see friends die in a useless war ten-thousand miles away from home. The paper posits that his literary approach of conveying the realism of violent death in combat through emotion is very effective, for emotion is visceral and communicates his theme with far more power and meaning than simply describing battles. The paper asserts that his use of fear, the trauma killing inflicts, and the grief soldiers feel for lost comrades are the three primary reasons why "The Things They Carried" has been acclaimed as one of the most realistic novels about the Vietnam War ever written.

From the Paper:

"In his National Book Award winning novel, "The Things They Carried", Vietnam veteran Tim O'Brien conveyed the reality of the war by telling his readers in plainspoken language what it feels like to be afraid, what it feels like to kill, and what it feels like to see friends die in a useless war ten-thousand miles away from home. His literary approach of conveying the realism of violent death in combat through emotion is very effective, for emotion is visceral and communicates his theme with far more power and..."

Visitors who viewed this Book Review also liked these:

• Book Review # 104166 : "Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried"
• Book Review # 112165 : "Trauma of a Soldier"
• Term Paper # 115576 : "The Trauma of the Vietnam War"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: