William Timothy O’Brien's Novels
William Timothy O’Brien has written many stories during his lifetime.
The first of which he wrote when he was nine years old. "Timmy of the
Little League" was an autobiography of a youngster involved in sports
(Myers, 143). As Tim was growing up, he took a break from writing.
He began again while serving in the Vietnam war. When he began
writing again, he quickly readapted to an autobiographical style of
writing. These wartime stories are what has made O’Brien one of the
leading writers today. His style is often compared to other
factfiction writers; such as Hemmingway, Fitzgerald and Faulkner
(Myers, 144). It is said by critics that O’Brien uses a lot of the
same plot ideas as used by these other famous wartime authors. Even
though similar plots are used, O’Brien uses his own experiences to
make the stories realistic and inspirational.
The same basic themes runs throughout all of O’Brien’s stories.
According to Thomas Myers, all of O’Brien’s work contains these basic
principles: "the continual interplay of fact and imagination in
fiction and in life; the compulsive, absurd, noble quest for human
truth; the difficulty in defining and obtaining the elusive quality of
courage; and ongoing human need for fragile, made up, explanatory
device we call story." With all of these elements together Tim is
trying to write stories that fill his description that "War stories
aren’t about war-they are about the human heart at war." While serving
in the South China Sea, O’Brien wrote poetry and short vignettes about
what he was experiencing.
After returning from his Vietnam tour-of-duty, O’Brien wrote If I Die
in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home. This autobiography is
an account of a soldier facing death and searching for courage.
O’Brien "offers a particular version of himself who is both a
participant telling one man’s story and a symbolic emissary of his
culture who exchanges traditional and pop culture myth for hard-earned
knowledge of personal transgression and historical experience."(Oates,
438) O’Brien wrote about searching for personal courage while
fighting a war he did not believe in. He also touches on the fear he
faced as he grew from a naive young boy into a war-torn man. Some of
the poetry and vignettes O’Brien wrote during the war show up in If I
Die in a Combat Zone." O’Brien wrote this novel to help tell the
public about the real horrors and fears that go along with war. This
and the rest of O’Brien’s novels are used to show Americans the
falsehood of the idea that war is glamorous.
The same themes shows up in O’Brien’s second book.
about the war and his lack of place in his old society. The war becomes
He was a young man in his twenties, pressured by his family and peers to fight for his country despite not wanting to. The use of imagery allows the reader to see through his eyes. Though untrue, the fact is it could have happened. This gives the reader a “taste...
war often, for the sake of his country, but when he did he put in a
...y crying not knowing what to do then he turned and peered back to the Minnesota shore line. “It was as real as anything I would ever feel. I saw my parents calling to me from the far shoreline. I saw my brother and sister, all the townsfolk, the mayor and the entire Chamber of Commerce and all my old teachers and girlfriends and high school buddies. Like some weird sporting event: everybody screaming from the sidelines, rooting me on” (58). This is when he knew he could not turn his back on his beloved country. All the wrong he felt the draft was he could not cross the border to flee from anything or anyone. This whole situation describes the rest of his life, but mainly his years in the Vietnam War. He would have to make decisions, decisions that would be hard but would have to do for the ones he loved.
...hermore, going to war was an act of cowardice. He had to put aside his morals and principles and fight a war he did not believe in.
others for the violence of the war, and summarizes his view on revenge perfectly: “I joined the
...ainting symbolize the need for patriotism and unity in a country during war on and off the battlefront. These two prominent texts support each other’s points of fighting for human’s unalienable rights and liberties through writing and visualization. The connection between the to conclude that war may not be just but it is the act of physical force or even any action that can bring together a country and achieve the liberties they deserve. This is a message that can apply to any human today, when someone infringes on another’s liberties then they need to stand up and fight back in order to stop the other from doing it again.
Tim did not agree with the war. He did not think the war was justified. He believed there was no reason for the war. He contemplated going across the Canadian border so he wouldn 't have to fight in the war. But the guilt and shame from his family would push him to go in anyway. As the war went on he felt guilty because he didn 't believe in himself enough to live according to his beliefs.
This idea and the drafted make decide to run away from his responsibility and from his society. However, the feeling of shame embarrassed and bring crowed in the eyes of his family and friends make him go to 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.
...is interactions with his wife are filled with tension and he is saddened when he reflects upon the men lost during war and the death of his brother.
In the beginning of the short story, the young boy is already imprinted with the ideas of war from his father. His father was a former soldier who “had fought against naked savages and followed the flag of his country..” (Bierce 41). The image of war that is imprinted on the young boy from his father is that of nobility and righteous that comes from war.
He tried to portray the world through the terms of compassion and hope, but at the same time “he was profoundly disturbed by the brutality of totalitarianism and the savagery of war,”
He entered a battle when he had just learned of the uncertain odds, he nearly sacrificed the lives of his family while trying to act the hero in front of them, and he recovered from the death of his wife unnaturally quickly when faced with the prospect of leading a voyage. Though his experiences seem to depict the worst of them, he hints at evidence that he learned from these experiences and emerged a better person because of
...es “behaving like his hero from his youth.” while he was at the river to describe his thought and feeling and why he did decided to go to war rather than run away. His thought of going to war was, so he does not be guilty man in front of his family and friends. In either way the people you met throughout your life has always influence to build your moral character and your personal understanding of self.