Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried
Based on the cultural lens in the book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, the stories “Field Trip”, “The Man I Killed” and “On the Rainy River” shows how a community can expect some of the men to go to war and how the men are ashamed or embarrassed not to go to war like others because of the stereotypical pressure of the community. The men felt like they had to be in war and as a result losing who they are once they experience war. The examples from the chapters shows how the stereotypical expectation in society make the men ashamed and/or embarrassed and how they feel like they have to go to war. In the story “Field Trip”, the text shows an example of how some people in a community can expect a man to go to war and how it affects
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them as a human being. In the story Tim O’Brien and his daughter, Kathleen go over to Vietnam to see where everything was taken place. Tim O’Brien had said, “Kathleen had just turned ten, and this trip was a kind of birthday present, showing her the world, offering a small piece of her father’s history.” (174) This explains how Tim O’Brien had felt about the war and wanted to show his daughter what it had been like and why he would go to such a place. He let her experience the world and the pressures that he was under so that she could understand why it all happened. Kathleen was really curious on why her dad wanted to go over there in the first place and why everyone was so angry at eachother. She said, “What did you want?” “Nothing,” he said. “To stay alive.” Kathleen sighed and said, “Well I don’t get it. I mean, how come you were even here in the first place?” He said, “I don’t know. Because I had to be.” (O’Brien,175) This shows how Tim O’Brien felt like it was his obligation to be at war because of some people in his community putting that stereotypical pressure on him.
Another story in this book, “The Man I Killed” shows how the war in some people’s eyes in the community means it’s the man’s duty to represent and protect the people of their land.
Tim O’Brien felt like he had to be at the war because of people in his community and would have felt ashamed if he didn’t go to war. The war in some of the people of the communities eyes felt like the war was a privilege not a right to go to war, so that means that Tim has to think that the war is an immunity granted to him. He says about the man he killed, “He would have been taught to defend the land was man’s highest duty and highest privilege. He had accepted this...He could not picture himself doing the brave things his father had done, or his uncles, or the heroes of the stories.” (119) This shows how Tim O’Brien had the same complications as this young man he had killed. He had felt like he himself and the soldier could have been so much more and followed their dreams. The soldier and him felt the expectations of his community and family. When he said in the text that he had to do the brave things his family and the heroes had done that he had to follow the tradition and put his whole dream to the side just to fit into the communities expectations, which leads to the stereotypical pressure put on them to follow
that. In the story “On the Rainy River”, the men felt the cultural pressure of being at war and how it changes who they are. An example from the text shows that some men feel like it’s their obligation to go to war because of some people in their community and as a result ends up becoming who they are not. Tim O’Brien says, “ I was ashamed to be there at the tip top lodge.” (49) This shows how Tim O’Brien didn’t want people to think bad about him and was scared to do the right thing because if he messed up he would be ashamed of not doing it the right way like everyone else. Earlier on in this story Tim O’Brien felt obligated to go to war. He said, “ I would go to the war-I would kill and maybe die-because I was embarrassed not to.” (57) Tim felt like if he didn’t go to war than he would feel the pressure of the community and be embarrassed because he wasn’t living up to the people in the communities standards and not being like everybody else. In the end the stories “Field Trip”, “The Man I Killed” and “On the Rainy River” shows examples of how a community can expect some of the men to go to war and how some men feel ashamed or embarrassed not to go to war like others because of the stereotypical pressure of some people in the community.
them as a human being. In the story Tim O’Brien and his daughter, Kathleen go over to Vietnam to see where everything was taken place. Tim O’Brien had said, “Kathleen had just turned ten, and this trip was a kind of birthday present, showing her the world, offering a small piece of her father’s history.” (174) This explains how Tim O’Brien had felt about the war and wanted to show his daughter what it had been like and why he would go to such a place. He let her experience the world and the pressures that he was under so that she could understand why it all happened. Kathleen was really curious on why her dad wanted to go over there in the first place and why everyone was so angry at eachother. She said, “What did you want?” “Nothing,” he said. “To stay alive.” Kathleen sighed and said, “Well I don’t get it. I mean, how come you were even here in the first place?” He said, “I don’t know. Because I had to be.” (O’Brien,175) This shows how Tim O’Brien felt like it was his obligation to be at war because of some people in his community putting that stereotypical pressure on him.
Another story in this book, “The Man I Killed” shows how the war in some people’s eyes in the community means it’s the man’s duty to represent and protect the people of their land.
Tim O’Brien felt like he had to be at the war because of people in his community and would have felt ashamed if he didn’t go to war. The war in some of the people of the communities eyes felt like the war was a privilege not a right to go to war, so that means that Tim has to think that the war is an immunity granted to him. He says about the man he killed, “He would have been taught to defend the land was man’s highest duty and highest privilege. He had accepted this...He could not picture himself doing the brave things his father had done, or his uncles, or the heroes of the stories.” (119) This shows how Tim O’Brien had the same complications as this young man he had killed. He had felt like he himself and the soldier could have been so much more and followed their dreams. The soldier and him felt the expectations of his community and family. When he said in the text that he had to do the brave things his family and the heroes had done that he had to follow the tradition and put his whole dream to the side just to fit into the communities expectations, which leads to the stereotypical pressure put on them to follow
that. In the story “On the Rainy River”, the men felt the cultural pressure of being at war and how it changes who they are. An example from the text shows that some men feel like it’s their obligation to go to war because of some people in their community and as a result ends up becoming who they are not. Tim O’Brien says, “ I was ashamed to be there at the tip top lodge.” (49) This shows how Tim O’Brien didn’t want people to think bad about him and was scared to do the right thing because if he messed up he would be ashamed of not doing it the right way like everyone else. Earlier on in this story Tim O’Brien felt obligated to go to war. He said, “ I would go to the war-I would kill and maybe die-because I was embarrassed not to.” (57) Tim felt like if he didn’t go to war than he would feel the pressure of the community and be embarrassed because he wasn’t living up to the people in the communities standards and not being like everybody else. In the end the stories “Field Trip”, “The Man I Killed” and “On the Rainy River” shows examples of how a community can expect some of the men to go to war and how some men feel ashamed or embarrassed not to go to war like others because of the stereotypical pressure of some people in the community.