Things They Carried By Tim O Brien: Summary

In life there are choices people would have to make every day: To go in or out, to leave or stay, to move on or remain in the past, to keep or to erase, to live or die – these type of choices are the things Tim O’Brien carried when his daughter, Kathleen, asked why he writes about Vietnam and later suggested that he should forget about the war. Exploring the secret passageways of fragmented memories of O’Brien, not only struck with his intricately crafted mind of the past, but the feeling of being a main source of living in the presence stemmed from the appreciation of being at war, surviving through war, leaving the war, or dying at war. It also leaves O’Brien curious as to what other secrets lay hidden beneath the lands of Vietnam and the memories that could have been made. Parts of his story consisted of thoughts. There were traces of war everywhere he
Centering on the death of one of his platoon members and the horrible state of Vietnam, the author slowly builds the courage to discuss the topic in detail by describing the overwhelming experience in Vietnam, as well as focusing more on the emotional issues. Freedom to him was often as subtle as an extra hour to spare in the company of something or someone familiar. He reminds the readers that people forget sometimes how valuable time is, how important it is not to take for granted the time one has when they have it. Thus, he breaks the cycle of happy thoughts by providing positive lists in the beginning of the story, and then gradually opening up to the grey areas he kept away from a long time with negative lists. The things he carried left a heavy weight on his shoulders from war and so forth, but as he continues to write with attitude, he finally answers his daughter’s one question by answering with memories in odd little