Keeping Them Alive: Tim O’Brien The Things They Carried
In the novel The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien shares many stories and events of his experience as a soldier in the Vietnam War. Of those, one stands out amongst the rest. That death so happens to be the death of Linda. What makes Linda's death specifically significant is the impact her existence has on the novel and the strong inspiration she has on the narrator. Linda is one of the intangible things O'Brien carried as a soldier and even now as an author he still carries her. Even though Linda is not an active character in the novel, she helps illustrate the importance of remembering the dead; this remembering will, in a way, bring them back to life.
When Linda was alive, the love shared between her and Timmy thrived.She was nine years old, “she had poise and great dignity. Her eyes… were deep brown like her hair, and she was slender and very quiet and fragile looking¨ (O’Brien 216). Timmy, who was O'Brien as a child, was in love with Linda. He describes their connection as being ¨as deep and rich as love can ever get¨ (O’Brien 216). What they shared was deeper than what a lot of people find in a relationship because though they were young, O'Brien describes their love as having the same aspects and depth of adult love, but possibly more because at the time they did not have an elaborate way to illustrate it (O'Brien 216). In 1956, Timmy and Linda went on what O'Brien considers, ¨the first real date¨ of his life(O'Brien 216). [....]. He felt so many different emotions towards and concerning Linda that at times it was hard for him to even speak when he was around her (O'Brien 217). Despite the fact the two were so young, O'Brien believed that the...
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... Storytelling is indeed a huge way to keep the dead alive. Whether it is a loved one or a friend, memories, dreams, and stories of the dead will allow them to live alongside us long after they are gone. It is the job of the living to share and express memories and dreams of the dead so that part or even parts of them live on. O’Brien took it upon himself to keep Linda alive and by keeping Linda alive, she reveals to him the power of storytelling. O’Brien realizes that even though he loses her, he still can hold on to a part of her through his dreams, memories and, most importantly, his stories. He uses this realization throughout his war experience, and not only did it help him cope with the trauma of the war, it helps him escape the pain of losing Linda because, as a writer now, he is still keeping her alive exactly the same way he has in his novel (O'Brien 232).
Within the book The Thing’s They Carried, the stories of the male soldiers and their dealings with the Vietnam War. However he also delves into the stories of the women and how they affected the soldiers and their experiences in Vietnam. While the men dealt with the horrors of war, the women were right at their side, just not in as much of a public view as the male soldiers. O’Brien uses women such as Martha, Linda and Kathleen in The Things They Carried to punctuate how vital rememorance and recompense was to him and other soldiers in Vietnam.
Necessities in The Things They Carried In The Things They Carried, the characters themselves probably could not tell you why they carried many of the things they did. The things they carried can be divided into three basic groups, the things that everyone had to carry in order to survive, the things that individuals choose to carry, and the mental burdens that many carry without choice. The necessities that the men were forced to carry were, for example, P- 38 can openers, pocket knives, matches, C-rations, water, nylon covered flak. jacket, an M-16 assault rifle, and for Henry Dobbins, an M-60, which weighed 33-. 38 pounds of ammunition.
In the book “The Things They Carried” four female characters played an important role in the lives of the men. Whether imaginary or not, they showed the power that women could have over men. Though it's unknown if the stories of these women are true or not, they still make an impact on the lives of the soldiers and the main narrator.
Vietnam War was one of the hardest wars ever fought. There are several reasons for this statement. It was basically impossible to conquer the territory because there were no boundaries. The soldiers had to put up with the climate, land, diseases and most importantly themselves. This essay is about yet another reason: the relationship between the soldiers and the officers.
Everyday individuals face decisions in which they must choose whether to do what is appealing to them or to choose a more suitable and compliable choice. In the fictional work of ‘The Things They Carried’ by Tim O’ Brien, certain characters such as Tim O’ Brien himself must face decisions similar to these. The novel demonstrates that when an individual is faced with a decision in which there is a choice that he may have to conform, the individual tends to conform due to not wanting to embarrass themselves or to not be portrayed as a coward to others. However when the individual is challenged with these types of decisions, the choice does not matter since the outcome will be what the individual was trying to avoid. That is to say that in the excerpt “The Rainy River” Tim O’ Brien was going through a conflicting decision on whether or not he should go to the war. Yet, as we see it turns out that either choice will lead to either shame or cowardice. If he goes to the war he feels that he will be a coward and that he gave up his own morals and values and accepted something he does not believe in, but if he does not go to war he will be shunned by society and will be labelled as a coward because he will not fight for his country.
Experiences and Emotions in The Things They Carried Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried is not a novel about the Vietnam War. “It is a story about the soldiers and their experiences and emotions that are brought about from the war” (King 182). O'Brien makes several statements about war through these dynamic characters. He shows the violent nature of soldiers under the pressures of war, he makes an effective antiwar statement, and he comments on the reversal of a social deviation into the norm. By skillfully employing the stylistic technique of specific, conscious detail selection and utilizing connotative diction, O'Brien thoroughly and convincingly makes each point.
The title of the book itself couldn’t be more fitting. The Things They Carried is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Tim O'Brien about soldiers trying to live through the Vietnam War. These men deal with many struggles and hardships. Throughout this essay I will provide insight into three of the the numerous themes seen throughout the novel: burdens, truth, and death.
After more time and experience O’Brien never fully gets used to the humor but understands that jokes are other soldiers’ way of coping as dreams and stories are used by O’Brien to cope with his own personal experiences. It wasn’t long into his first days in Vietnam that the memory of Linda would resurface. This memory resurfaces after being with his platoon for just four days. O’Brien and his group encounter a small amount of sniper fire and even though no one was hurt, an air strike was called and soon after O’Brien had his next experience with mortality.
The last chapter of the novel, “The Lives of the Dead”, is meant to emphasize that the novel is not about war and has a much broader meaning than just the fighting. The story of Linda and O’Brien fits into the overall theme of the novel because he keeps her alive through stories (239). Linda is a symbol of his innocence, when she passed away so did his innocence; She was talked about for so long because it was a significant change in O’Brien’s life, even though he was just a child. She continued to impact his life because she was his guardian angel; symbolically she wore a red cap and a white tassel similar to guardian angels in the Christian religion. Linda’s statement “Timmy, stop crying. It doesn’t matter” is Linda’s attempt to help O’Brien realize that he must not mourn over the little factors and continue to fight his war like she fought hers for as long as he
It is known that he was a sergeant, he was shot multiple times, and his friend, Linda, died when he was young. It is also known that O’Brien would make up stories to bring his friend back to life. O’Brien tells us “I made elaborate stories to bring Linda alive in my sleep (O’Brien 243).” Later, O’Brien would bring his other friends back using stories.
The story is riddled with death; all of the dead he’s has seen: Linda, Ted Lavender, Kiowa, Curt Lemon, the man he killed, and all the others without names. Through his memories of them he relives his time in Vietnam. By telling their stories he “keeps dreaming dreaming them alive.” to try and restore his
The novel “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’ Brien takes place in the Vietnam War. The protagonist, Lieutenant Cross, is a soldier who is madly in love with a college student named Martha. He carries around photos and letters from her. However, the first few chapters illustrate how this profound love makes him weak in the war.
The word "hero" is so often used to describe people who overcome great difficulties and rise to the challenge that is set before them without even considering the overwhelming odds they are up against. In our culture, heroes are glorified in literature and in the media in various shapes and forms. However, I believe that many of the greatest heroes in our society never receive the credit that they deserve, much less fame or publicity. I believe that a hero is simply someone who stands up for what he/she believes in. A person does not have to rush into a burning building and save someone's life to be a hero. Someone who is a true friend can be a hero. A hero is someone who makes a difference in the lives of others simply by his/her presence. In Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, the true heroes stand out in my mind as those who were true friends and fought for what they believed in. These men and women faced the atrocities of war on a daily basis, as explained by critic David R. Jarraway's essay, "'Excremental Assault' in Tim O'Brien: Trauma and Recovery in Vietnam War Literature" and by Vietnam Veteran Jim Carter. Yet these characters became heroes not by going to drastic measures to do something that would draw attention to themselves, but by being true to their own beliefs and by making a difference to the people around them.
The Things They Carried is a funny little book in the sense that it isn’t told how most books are. It goes from war to camping on the borderline of Canada, back to war, and then into present day times. It works marvelously well, showing you what actually happened and then what he thought about what happened and what he could have done to change the outcome. There are many things that I think people can learn from his experiences in the Vietnam war and the way he tells those stories and lessons really bring you along for the ride.
In his assessment of storytelling, O’Brien highlights the challenges of telling stories by including many tales that take place after the Vietnam War. For example, back in America, the soldier’s of Vietnam found