Tim O Brien The Things They Carried Summary

The things they carried is written by Tim O’Brien. Tim was born October 1st 1946. His mother’s name was Ava E, and his father’s name was William T. Obrien’s father worked as an insurance salesman and his mother worked as a teacher. He went to Macalester college and received a bachelor’s degree and he graduated Summa Cum Laude. He then went on to graduate study at Harvard University. He served in the U.S. army form 1968-1970. It is during this time that the inspiration for his story the things they cared came.

The form of the Things They Carried is a collection of short stories. The book itself while not super long is of considerable length. It features a sequence of short stories that intertwine to real life events. The story essentially

The point of view for most of this story is told from a first person point of view. Throughout the story however the perspective will change to a letter or a memory or the present day. While most of the story is told in past tense some parts are told in the present.

Tim O’Briens “The Things They carried” features many characters. Most of these characters are round as we see their story developed and the war begins to affect them. The characters are revealed through stories, as the story is told as a collection of stories each one reveals a little more of each person. There are approximate seventeen major characters. The protagonist of the story varies depending on which war story you are reading. The antagonist of the story however, the war itself, does not change. The main character is Tim O’brien, he is the narrator. He’s a twenty-year-old Liberal, educated pacifist. He’s funny and outgoing. The significance of his name is it is his actual name. a significant quote that shows this is “It was not a matter of life or death. There was no real peril. Almost certainly the

Sconce like in the chapter titled “The man I killed” begin with “His jaw was in his throat, his upper lip and teeth were gone, his one eye was shut, his other eye was a star shaped hole…” The language is plain and tells the story as it is. The diction indicates higher education. Dialogue is an essential part of this story without it, the story would not be