The Vietnam Soldier

Paper Summary:

This paper explains how Oliver Stone (director of "Platoon") and Tim O'Brien (author of "The Things They Carried") approach the Vietnam War in a different light. Rather than focusing on the political and social aspects, it shows how they highlight the role of the common soldier. They take the focus away from the bigger picture and give it to those who had to carry out the deeds of the politicians and generals. It explains that their stories focus around the personalities and experiences of the thousands of soldiers who fought in the jungle and continued to fight the war even after returning home.

From the Paper:

"As previously mentioned, both the book and the movie tend to avoid the political and social contexts of the war, and instead focus on the individuals fighting it their personalities and their lives before and after Vietnam. O'Brien begins his book emphasizing this same theme. He first introduces us to the things the soldiers carried. We (the audience) learn that Jimmy Cross caries letters from his girlfriend back home to help him remember what is waiting for him after the war (O'Brien 1). We learn that Dave Jenson, who is obsessed with hygiene, carries an extra toothbrush, dental floss, and large bars of soap (O'Brien 3). O'Brien also touches on the mandatory gear (i.e. guns, explosives, poncho, rations, ect.), but his focus is on the items that give the characters personality."

More papers on The Vietnam Soldier:

• Research Paper # 66021 : "The Vietnam War: A Narrative History"
• Essay # 72271 : "Soldiers of the Vietnam War and Drug Use"
• Analytical Essay # 7294 : "U.S. and Vietnam's Misperceptions during the Vietnam Conflict"

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