Summary Of The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien
Defending your country is not an easy task. Having the determination to make it through the experiences of war is amazing at itself. While reading, The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, it was acknowledged that men work through very tough situations for their country in Vietnam. The main characters in this novel show examples of the puritan work ethics due to the amount of strength they need to continue through tough times.
The pride the men show off in the novel really shows the idea of nationalism. They all had vigorous memories of one another. These men did the dirty work, the work others were too scared to do. Not only did they carry each other, but when one was down, another picked him up. They always had each others backs. It can be compared to a ‘brotherhood’, as referred to in the novel. War is a very dangerous and scary idea. It is explained in the novel, that war is, “Like a …show more content…
killer forest fire, like cancer under a microscope, any battle or bombing raid or artillery barrage has the aesthetic purity of absolute moral indifference- a powerful, implacable beauty- and a true war story will tell the truth about this, though the truth is ugly.” (O’Brien 77). As scary as the idea was, these soldiers still went out and fought, and it was all because of pride. There are many strengths and weaknesses within the men.
During the novel, there was a lot of internal and external damage done to these guys. They were literally watching some of their best friends be killed. Losing a friend is something no one should have to go through at a young age, especially the way some of them lost their own friends. Some try to blame it on themselves. One man named Norman Bowker, thought he was to blame of Kiowa’s death. Through a long period of time, he really does believe it is his fault, but he also tries to heal in his own way by telling old stories. A subject that was touched upon many times during this book was the sense of pride the soldiers had. One thing they were especially scared of was blushing, as quoted in the novel. “It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor” (O’Brien 20). Many of the items they brought with them to war helped them stay on task, whether it was a letter, or even food. The soldiers needed to stay
focused. The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, showed the idea an American in the sense that characters use puritan work ethics. They were there to defend their rights, and to express the great pride they had in their country. This really expresses their nationalism, hard work, and pride. The idea of a true American lies between the souls of these great men.
The pride the men show off in the novel really shows the idea of nationalism. They all had vigorous memories of one another. These men did the dirty work, the work others were too scared to do. Not only did they carry each other, but when one was down, another picked him up. They always had each others backs. It can be compared to a ‘brotherhood’, as referred to in the novel. War is a very dangerous and scary idea. It is explained in the novel, that war is, “Like a …show more content…
killer forest fire, like cancer under a microscope, any battle or bombing raid or artillery barrage has the aesthetic purity of absolute moral indifference- a powerful, implacable beauty- and a true war story will tell the truth about this, though the truth is ugly.” (O’Brien 77). As scary as the idea was, these soldiers still went out and fought, and it was all because of pride. There are many strengths and weaknesses within the men.
During the novel, there was a lot of internal and external damage done to these guys. They were literally watching some of their best friends be killed. Losing a friend is something no one should have to go through at a young age, especially the way some of them lost their own friends. Some try to blame it on themselves. One man named Norman Bowker, thought he was to blame of Kiowa’s death. Through a long period of time, he really does believe it is his fault, but he also tries to heal in his own way by telling old stories. A subject that was touched upon many times during this book was the sense of pride the soldiers had. One thing they were especially scared of was blushing, as quoted in the novel. “It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor” (O’Brien 20). Many of the items they brought with them to war helped them stay on task, whether it was a letter, or even food. The soldiers needed to stay
focused. The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, showed the idea an American in the sense that characters use puritan work ethics. They were there to defend their rights, and to express the great pride they had in their country. This really expresses their nationalism, hard work, and pride. The idea of a true American lies between the souls of these great men.