Summary Of The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

This autobiography written by Tim O’Brien tells us about his journey as a solider in Vietnam war. It tells all his struggles during the training camp and his time in the Vietnam. This book clearly provides an inner view of Tim’s thinking before going to Vietnam and during the war. It explains the situation the US army during the Vietnam war. Throughout this whole book Tim keeps pushing his idea about how war is wrong. From the beginning of the book he made it clear that war in not good. He kept mentioning that the war was wrong. ‘I was persuaded then, I remain persuaded now, the war was wrong. And since it was wrong …( O'Brien . p.18). Tim was drafted to go to the war in Vietnam for 12 months. He was not happy nor encouraged to go and serve

Even before going for training he feels that war is pointless and he should not go there. He was very upset at the draft system and his town. ‘ With delightful viciousness, a secret will, I declared the war evil, the draft board evil, the town evil in its lethargic acceptance…( O'Brien. P.20). When he reaches the training camp in Washington, he started his research on the plans of escape. At that time he was not really confident about his reason to leave. He was reading the articles about the interviews of the deserts and trying to figure out a solid reason that can convince him to leave. “I was more concerned with their psychology and with what compelled the to pack up and leave”( O'Brien. P.53). He planned to escape to the Canada and then fly to Norway. He also went to talk to a higher officer about how he feels about the Vietnam war. But the officer talks him out by telling him that he is just scared and he will be fine. But during his escape he thought about his family, town and friends and felt very

He kept mentioning the fear of getting shot or stepping on a mine but even under all the fear he completed his duty like a hero. I think of him as a brave and heroic person. In all that fear and no motivation he was still able to finish his duty. War was no directly linked to him but he felt his responsibility towards h He thought it was his duty to save the respect of his family and town. ‘ I owed the prairie something. For twenty-two years I’d lived under his laws, accepted its education, eaten its food….( O'Brien. p.18) he realized that he never thought about Canada before this summer and now when he I drafted he is thinking to leave his country and go to Canada. He encouraged himself in one way or the other and finished his duty. He clearly demonstrated his heroic personality in the Vietnam