The Things they Carried is seen as one of the most honest depictions of the Vietnam War that has ever been written. Tim O’Brien has a way of creating Vietnam around the reader. However‚ despite the clear depiction of war‚ this novel raises the question‚ “What is true?”. Through analyzing this novel‚ it is clear the author believes that the happening-truth of a story is far less important than the emotional-truth. One of the central chapters of the novel is titled‚ “The Man I Killed.” However‚ only
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Burdens in The Things They Carried Contradictions‚ guilt‚ physical‚ and emotional burdens are pains that all human beings face throughout their lives. In Tim O’Brien’s novel‚ The Things They Carried‚ this is no different. This novel is a collection of the adversities he and his comrades face while fighting in the Vietnam War. This collection comes with accounts from various perspectives‚ but each story has argument that provides a deeper understanding of the stories. Each story in The Things They Carried
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Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is a very uniquely written book. This book is comprised of countless stories that‚ though are out of order‚ intertwine and capture the reader’s attention through the end of the novel. This book‚ which is more a collection of short stories rather than one story that has a beginning and an end‚ uses a format that will keep the reader coming back for more. Typically‚ a novel contains four basic parts: a beginning‚ middle‚ climax‚ and the end. The beginning
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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
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but O’Brien‚ it seems‚ can never forget. And he doesn’t want to forget. And he doesn’t want anyone else to forget. He wants the world to understand the war‚ and the toll it had. For that reason‚ he writes novels and stories chronicling the war‚ specifically‚ The Things They Carried‚ a war novel which contains a collection of short stories he had previously published. Through O’Brien’s use of commentary‚ self reflection and exaggeration‚ the reader comes to understand the moral complexities
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The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien 1 | Among the necessities or near-necessities were P-38 can openers‚ pocket knives‚ heat tabs‚ wristwatches‚ dog tags‚ mosquito repellent‚ chewing gum‚ candy‚ cigarettes‚ salt tablets‚ packets of Kool-Aid‚ lighters‚ matches‚ sewing kits‚ Military Payment Certificates‚ C rations‚ and two or three canteens of water. (pg. 2) | Most of these items I understand that they have to have them. There are a few though that I don’t think are a necessity or a near-necessity
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followed by sadness and grief. As portrayed in “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien‚ a soldier has to deal with the situation much differently. Death is portrayed in a negative light due to the fact that soldiers are greatly fearful of it and that they are forced to be unaffected by death. In order to cope with all the deaths he witnessed‚ O’Brien uses the retelling of war stories to heal from these traumatic events. Throughout the novel‚ death is definitely portrayed as being a very negative
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There are many different controversies on the information in “The Things They Carried”. Some believe to tell a good story‚ there’s only facts and no truth‚ but some think that there needs to be all fictional elements and no facts to make a good story. A majority of people say that an excellent story starts with facts and adds in other elements like metaphors‚ symbolism‚ and imagery because visualizing the story helps the reader connect to the unfamiliar event. Using imagery is a smart way to engage
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In the novel The Things They Carried the young soldiers are afraid of seeming weak. O’ Brien didn’t want to go to war. He was even considering fleeing to Canada. O’ Brien eventually decided to go because he was afraid of seeming like a coward to his family and town. He went to war out of fear of appearing weak to his peers. He believed it would be shameful if he didn’t go to the war. The soldiers in the novel were cautious to show any sign of fear. They were in an unpredictable and strange environment
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soldiers. It’s different from all the other cliché‚ patriotic war movies. Like Tim O’Brien writes “A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct‚ nor encourage virtue‚ nor suggest models of proper human behavior‚ nor restrain men from doing the things men have always done. If a story seems moral‚ do not believe it. If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted‚ or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste‚ then you have been made the victim of a very
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