Abstract This paper looks closely at the short story by Tim O'Brien, "The Things They Carried". The work selects as its thesis the items which were carried, and what they symbolize. The paper also comments upon what it means to not have items of value or to burn and give up the burdens which were first brought to war. It concludes that these items saved the soldiers and bring them humanity.
From the Paper "Tim O'Brien's powerful words in the short story "The Things They Carried", the title and first chapter in his collection of work concerning soldiers during the Vietnam War, connect to readers as they remind us of burdens being carried--physical, emotional and spiritual. As the soldiers gain personality via their possessions--both those they carry as well as those they leave behind--we come to envision these men as the 'everyman,' those who go off to war and symbolize a country. As the images of these burdens gain a solid presence in the story, they represent the lives and hopes of each soldier, even as they are cast away by the principle character in the tale, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. Near the first lines of the story, O'Brien introduces the readers to the theme of the 'carried,' or burdens. Each soldier is made unique by..."
Abstract This paper examines the critically acclaimed Vietnam War novel of Tim O'Brien's, "The Things They Carried". It explores the literary issues of historical quasi-fiction in the sense that it sees truth not as definitive but as something that changes with the story. The paper describes O?Brien techniques and influences on this novel and the author. The novel is a semi-fictitious piece of work, drawing strongly from the experiences of O?Brien in the war. The paper also notes the tools O?Brien uses to tell his story, particularly the use of various symbols and relics, speaking strongly of a time long gone.
From the Paper "Truth, for the writer, is defined by its creator. Truth, for the reader, is defined by interpretation of the text and the story behind the text. Somewhere in between lies the task of story-telling, that ability of a writer to put his or her experiences, or perhaps his or her imagination onto paper, in the most "truthful" way that he or she knows how. Truth, by a more traditional definition, is defined by facts. Truth, in an authorial sense, lies more in the hands of the reader. Truth no longer lies in fact but in the response of the reader or rather the experience of reading itself. Facts become irrelevant when an author's inventions become the vehicle for truth. Speaking of the art of storytelling, Ernest Hemingway once said that a ?writer's job is tell the truth. His standard of fidelity to the truth should be so high that his inventions should produce a truer account than anything factual can be.? This definition outside of a body of text is a contradiction in terms, but when examining the text, truth lies not in the words but in the response of the reader. A "true story" is not one that is true to the facts, but is one that is true to the story. Because the "truth" is not spelled out for the reader, it is the job of him or her to create the truth in the mind, the heart, and the stomach."
Abstract This paper examines Tim O'Brien's, "The Things They Carried," which is a compilation of several short stories or vignettes, about the experiences of the men who fought in the Vietnam War. The author uses commentary from two other literary sources who have analyzed the materials that were covered in O'Brien's book. The author discusses how O'Brien's background influenced the structure and content of the book. Some of the themes found in the different stories include courage, loneliness and memories and how the men carry all of these, along with their supplies, with them througout the war. This writer feels that it was the stories and the intimacy of the sharing of these feelings that helped many of these men survive the war, relatively intact.
From the Paper "Characterization is one of the most important parts of this novel, and O'Brien manages to create vivid characters that are sympathetic and very real at the same time. How can a man named Rat be sympathetic? It is partly because of the thread of storytelling that is the backbone of the novel. "For Rat Kiley. . . facts were formed by sensation, not the other way around, and when you listened to one of his stories, you'd find yourself performing rapid calculations in your head, subtracting superlatives, figuring the square root of an absolute and then multiplying by maybe" (O'Brien 101). Much of O'Brien's novel reads like the folktales of old, passed down orally from generation to generation. Rat Kiley is clearly a born storyteller, for he makes his listeners think and think hard while he spins his tales."
Abstract This paper discusses O'Brien's historical account of the mafia godfather Paul Castellano. It explores the focus of the book and O'Brien's motives and messages in the book. This paper also reviews the information provided about the Gambino family and O'Brien's methods of obtaining the information.
From the Paper "Because of the sensitive nature of some classified information that surfaced during the investigation, O'Brien had to curb his writing style to meet legal approval. He and Kurins had developed a relationship with Castellano while they were brining about his downfall. At one point O'Brien states, "a relationship developed between us. We were friends. It's hard to believe that." O'Brien also let's his readers know that Castellano was not an "irrational, ruthless boss" but rather a businessman. And that's one of the key points that he drives home in the book. Castellano was even against drug trafficking, which O'Brien assumes to be one of the reasons why he was gunned down. In many resects, he did not fit the image of a powerful Mafia don. O'Brien began to feel a grudging sympathy for this proud man, who tried to overcome the pressures he faced from rival mobsters."
Abstract This paper examines the theme of truth and the lack of truth in Tim O'Brien's fictional story about the Vietnam war. The paper looks at the message, delivered in O'Brien's story, that we should never trust what the government tells us about the war because no one knows for sure what really happened. To further illustrate the truth theme, the paper contrasts O'Brien's approach to truth depiction with the approach of Oliver Stone in "Platoon". While acknowledging that there are similarities in both authors' approach to truth depiction, the paper points out that there are significant differences too.
From the Paper "In most war stories, the main purpose of authors and directors is to represent the truth by building their works on universally known facts. Most of them try to stick with facts to lend more credibility to their fictional work. They would get inspiration from some real events and then mould them creatively to add their own views and ideologies. However in Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried", the author has no such objective in mind. Instead he urges his readers to question the so-called truth that authorities give us. We are repeatedly reminded of the fact that this work is pure fiction that nothing is real and not a single event mentioned in the story ever took place in reality. The words "real" and "really" have been used frequently in the story to convince the readers of the authenticity of the details of every version and they are then quickly called into question little later."
Abstract This paper explains that Tim O'Brien's novel, "The Things They Carried",
illustrates that the greatest weight soldiers bear comes from nothing they can physically carry, but rather their emotions, grief, terror, and love. The author points out that O'Brien utilizes the composite novel form, which allows him to play with multiple settings, characters, the theme of storytelling, and even allusiveness, in a way that most fully incorporates the whole of humanity into his story. The paper relates that, through his unique narration, stylistic technique, and attention to detail, O'Brien captures the psychological aspects of war.
From the Paper "The psychological burden of war goes far beyond that of simply fighting. The struggle of staying alive was always emphasized after encountering a battle for which they found themselves alive. "For the most part they carried themselves with poise, a kind of dignity. Now and then there were times of panic, when they squealed or wanted to squeal but couldn't" (19). The fear of losing life was compounded by the idea of being a brave and courageous soldier. The fact of surviving always brought a sense of life to the soldiers. The psychological pressure of fighting and surviving was always followed with a sense of reassembling themselves as soldiers. O'Brien states that for the most part, the soldiers were "afraid of dying but they were even more afraid to show it" (20). Coping with the pressure of war was discovered by way of telling jokes and creating a "hard vocabulary to contain the terrible softness" (20). Their encounters with death were instances where "irony was mixed with tragedy" (20). These statements illustrate how the soldiers did their best to cope with the psychological pressure of the war."
Abstract This paper explains that, 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, to kill and to see friends die in a useless war ten-thousand miles away from home. The author points outs that O'Brien's literary approach of conveying the realism of violent death in combat through emotion is very effective. The paper relates that this style has far more power and meaning than simply describing battles. The author underscores that O'Brien's use of fear, the trauma killing inflicts and the grief soldiers feel for lost comrades are the three primary reasons why this book has been acclaimed as one of the most realistic novels about the Vietnam War ever written.
From the Paper "This passage conveys much more about the pervasive weight of fear and the awful finality of death than many war novelists have communicated in entire chapters, or even in entire novels. O'Brien (1999) describes his friend's sudden death on a warm, sunny April morning with compassionate finality and an authoritative essence that is eloquent in its very simplicity. "He was dead weight," O'Brien writes of Ted Lavender, a scared young soldier gone from this world in the twinkling of an eye."
Abstract This paper begins with a brief history of Tim O'Brien's life and background before he fought in the war in Vietnam. The writer then looks at the process that led O'Brien to become a writer from his time in Vietnam to his university years at Harvard. The paper looks at the recurring themes evident not only in "If I Die in a Combat Zone", but his other novels as well.
From the Paper "Fear and fears is also one of the center points of the novel. Obviously, in wars and in the Vietnam War in particular, the utmost fear is the fear of dying. However, surprisingly or not, the fear of dying seems to be occasionally surpassed by other fears. One of them is the fear of getting lost at night. As O'Brien puts it, this fear refers to the terrible sensation of "of becoming detached from the others, of spending the night alone in that frightening and haunted countryside". This description of the fear of getting lost draws an interesting angle on what collectivity is in a war. Practically, you begin to refuse your existence as an individual and begin to exist as a group, because, as the quote underlines, it is the fact of being separated from the others that is most traumatizing in getting lost."
Abstract This paper mainly gives a personal perspective of Tim O'Brien, the author, focusing on his experiences in Vietnam. It discusses the shift in the tone of war writing, its views on combat and the outlook on war. It cites many of O'Brien's works to qualify this point. The paper manages to highlight that war literature is not to view the experiences of war only in historical and personal terms, but also to reflect the entire tension that was going on between the individual and the historical situation.
From the Paper "Tim O'Brien was not very happy that American conscience had been able to digest the events of Vietnam very well and the country had got back to a situation of being "normal". On his side, he had gone to the extent of saying that he wished that the country was a little more troubled. When the society in the country is normal, it means that the history has been removed from the public conscience, and also changed human nature where these events will no longer raise public protests. In the stories of war, there are the dreams and lives of individuals, fighting as soldiers, and are not only a set of data. This is important to note. Since the point is only to talk about the event without highlighting the results, is it not more difficult to raise public interest?"
Abstract This paper describes the main character in the O'Brien's book about a young man who was drafted into the the war with Vietnam. The paper describes the man's conflicting emotions and turmoil he feels about the war.
From the Paper "On June 17, 1968, Tim O'Brien received his draft notice. Many emotions must have erupted inside of him that day and in the following months to come. He said, "I remember the rage in my stomach. Later it burned down to a smoldering self-pity, then to numbness." In "On the Rainy River" O'Brien brings to life many places and characters to convey his feelings about his draft notice and the war in Vietnam. Elroy Berdahl and the Armour Meat Packing Plant for example brings to life and express to the readers his conflicting emotions about the war in Vietnam. Many feelings, such as desperation, rage, and fear come to the surface. "The emotions went from outrage to terror to bewilderment to guilt to sorrow and then back again to outrage.""
Abstract This paper discusses Tim O' Brien's "The Things They Carried" simultaneously as an exploration of American involvement in the war in Vietnam and as an examination of a single soldier's feelings about himself. It focuses on the theme of coming to terms with different kinds of courage.
From the Paper "One of the most important lessons that we each acquire as we grow up is the fact that there are a number of different ways of being brave and that few of us has as great a measure of courage along any of the vectors of bravery as we would like to believe .."
Abstract This paper discusses the concept of finding morality in war, a favorite of writers for centuries. The paper then reviews the book 'The Things They Carried' by Tim O'Brien.
From the Paper "Finding morality in war can be a difficult thing. The topic of morality, as it relates to war, has been a favorite of writers for centuries. Tim O'Brien is no different, in this regard. However, the war he writes in the context of is like no other. The Viet Nam War is even more ambiguous, in terms of morality, than those wars that have come before it. As O'Brien states in his observation on telling a true war story, "a true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior [. . .]" (68). Despite this assertion, O'Brien, through his characters and through his setting, makes a powerful statement on the morality of war."
Abstract The paper compares how the play "Doubt: A Parable" by John Patrick Shanley and the short story "On the Rainy River" by Tim O'Brien are built on the foundations of uncertainty and doubts. The paper also shows how the two works allow the reader to come to his own conclusions about what ultimately happens in these two works. The paper relates that these works teach that one needs to question what he knows and believes and to understand there will always be uncertainties in life.
From the Paper "The uncertainties at the end of this play are very clear. First, there is a real uncertainty that Father Flynn did anything at all, and that he was simply afraid of Sister Aloysius and her accusations, and chose to leave rather than to acknowledge them. Today, with so many scandals following priests in the Catholic Church that is not hard to believe, even though this story is set in 1964. However, there are more uncertainties than just Father Flynn's guilt by the end of the play. Should Sister Aloysius be so absolutely sure of her suspicions, even though she has absolutely no proof? Is she really so convinced of her suspicions that she felt it was all right to lie, she a woman of the cloth and a person the children of the school are supposed to look up to? How could anyone be so self-righteous and despicable, and how could she possibly be a nun?"
Abstract Tim O'Brien's novel ''The Things They Carried' is a fictionalized account of how the Vietnam War impacted the lives of the soldiers who fought there. The paper shows that with this war comes no glory, honor or nobility. Instead, we find a common theme of fear, terror and angst associated with the war. The paper shows that, with his unique style, O'Brien brings the soldier's difficulties to the forefront through extremely personal experiences. In addition, O'Brien employs different literary techniques of point of view and imagery to provoke our imagination. The paper argues that O'Brien's narrative style is brutally honest, leaving practically nothing to the imagination. While these stories may be difficult to read, they are necessary because they capture the cold-blooded essence of war that O'Brien wishes to convey.
From the Paper "O'Brien also successfully depicts the power of the war. With every day, we find soldiers becoming desensitized. In the story, "How to Tell a True War Story," O'Brien paints the portrait of a man coming apart because of the unnerving scenes of war. Rat Kiley momentarily loses his grip on reality after seeing a fellow soldier step on a booby-trap and die. Rat responds to this incident by shooting a baby water buffalo. The event is crystallized in our minds with the incredible detail O'Brien provides."
Abstract The story "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien is the first story in his book of stories relating to the Vietnam war. The paper shows that "The Things They Carried" introduces us to the circumstances surrounding the Vietnam War, but more importantly, it introduces us to the men who served with O?Brien and the burdens they carried. The story paints a unique picture of war--one that is different from the typical war story--a story that is personal, graphic and intense. The paper shows that with careful attention to detail, O'Brien is able to help us focus on the men who fought that war, which allows us to understand opposition to war from a very personal point of view. Through each character in the story, O'Brien skillfully illustrates how war leaves a lasting impression on people, sometimes changing them forever.
From the Paper "Along with the weight of the war, O?Brien also expresses how the typical clich's surrounding patriotic duty seemed to be missing. The soldiers have no solid "cause" that they can believe in, much less fight for and the only thing they can be certain of is the fact that helicopters will arrive again with more things for them to carry: For "all the ambiguities of Vietnam, all the mysteries and unknowns, there was at least the single abiding certainty that they would never be at a loss for things to carry" (16). Here O?Brien is telling us that because the war felt as though it did not have a clear goal or mission, it added to the lack of morale experienced by the soldiers."
