Theme Of Fear In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

Former Major League Baseball outfielder Chili Davis once stated that “fear can often take over one’s body, as well as one’s mind”(Davis). Davis states here that Fear is a very strong emotion, and that it can change and influence many aspects of a person’s life. In the novel The Things They Carried written by Tim O'Brien, the author teaches the reader how the main aspect in the war that influence his writing was fear.O'Brien utilizes fear with the uses of Tim not wanting to go to war, when Mary Bell changes, and Rat Kiley’s greif. First, one instance in which Tim O'Brien utilizes the theme of fear first by using the character Tim. Tim described his situation as “I was drafted into a wharf I hated”(O’Brien pg38). Tim did not have fond opinions
When Lemon is tragically killed when Rat and him were goofing around, the experience really shook rat. At first, Rat was immediately was struck with grief, and then wrote a heartfelt letter too Lemon’s sister about how great her brother was. Tah was just the type of guy Rat was. The underlying reason why Rat might have written the letter was that he was afraid he might lose Leman entirely, if he did not send his condolences to Lemon’s family. When Lemon’s sister did not write back, Rat was crushed, and stated,”I write this beautiful fucking letter, and the dumb cooze does not even write bak”(O'Brien, pg67). Rat’s letter, to the sister helps O’Brien illustrate the fear of loss in the war. Similar to howRat was afraid to lose Lemon further, many americans were worried for many of their loved one's lives in this terrible war. In the novel The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, he implies that even though humans are so vulnerable to fera, that fear can still manipulate many aspects of a person’s life, such as Tim not wanting to go to war, when Mary Bell’s changes, and Rat Kiley’s greif.. In the world today,fear till influences many things, but it is up to the individual too how it will affect