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Recommended: Symbolism of characters in the things they carried

O’Brien writes a war story that contains no traditional war heroes because some soldiers aren’t capable of being called a war hero due to the actions made on the battlefield.

Norman Bowker could not be classified as a war hero because of the actions he made on the battlefield. Bowker let two people die. He let his best friend die due to selfishness and cowardice, and he also let himself die due to the lack of an objective in his life. Bowker needed a specific purpose in his life to feel as if there was a meaning to life. A true war hero wouldn’t give up on anyone and themselves. A real hero would fight until he can no longer fight. Norman Bowker let his best friend Kiowa get taken by the shit field in Vietnam because Bowker was selfish and was only thinking about himself. In order for Bowker to be classified as a war hero and to receive the Silver Star, he needed to save Kiowa. Instead, Bowker let go of Kiowa and let him sink into the field, drowning in the mud and waste. Bowker watched his best friend slowly sink into the mud while he plugged his nose because he couldn’t stand the smell of the field. “The shit was in his nose and eyes… and he could no longer tolerate it… He released Kiowa’s boot and watched it slide away.” (Pg 143) Norman Bowker isn’t classified as a war hero because he took his own life, he didn’t see his life going anywhere. Bowker felt the need to have an objective in his life to continue living, and without an objective, he decided to end his life. A war hero would never take their own life because of the problems they are facing, they would deal with their problems and find an objective to complete. “Eight months later he hanged himself… Norman was a quiet boy, his mother wrote, and I don’t suppose he wante...

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...ng the grenade and killing the man. Without killing the enemy soldier, O’Brien could’ve been to blame for losing many of his comrades, and maybe even his own life. A true war hero wouldn’t be hesitant to take out an enemy to protect their comrades. They’d react instantly and do their job. “His jaw was in his throat, his upper lip and teeth were gone…” (Pg 118) A typical war hero would keep their focus on the war and their comrades. Even though fear runs through every man, a war hero would fight through the fear and do their task at hand to save their comrades and their own life. Hesitating on the battlefield can cost many lives, even their own life.

O’Brien writes a war story that contains no traditional war heroes because some soldiers aren’t capable of being called a war hero due to the actions made on the battlefield. Every soldier is a hero in their own way.

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