coping mechanisms used by the members of the Alpha Company in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried supports the research on the various successful and destructive ways that soldiers use to cope during a war‚ and ultimately how the book was a mechanism for O’Brien to save himself.
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In The Things They Carried‚ by Tim O’Brien‚ American soldiers are fighting a war Vietnam‚ a country that is halfway across the globe from their home and families. The novel focuses on the experiences of the soldiers including Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and Mark Fossie. Since the war is a difficult and isolating experience‚ both men have a woman at home they seek comfort and assurance from: Martha and Mary Anne Belle‚ respectively. Lt. Cross and Martha are pen pals whereas Fossie and Mary Anne are childhood
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Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is not a novel about the Vietnam War. It is a story about the soldiers and their experiences and emotions that are brought about from the war. O’Brien makes several statements about war through these dynamic characters. He shows the violent nature of soldiers under the pressures of war‚ he makes an effective antiwar statement‚ and he comments on the reversal of a social deviation into the norm. By skillfully employing the stylistic technique of specific
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both memories and the current happenings in one’s life. In the beginning of The Things They Carried‚ by Tim O’Brien‚ O’Brien describes the lasting turmoil both he and Lieutenant Jimmy Cross feel as a result of the war: “... Jimmy rubbed his eyes and said he’d never forgiven himself for Lavender’s death. It was something that would never go away‚ he said quietly‚ and I nodded and told him I feel the same about certain things” (26). The tragedies of war can never be understood by one who has not experienced
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Pride Many of the characters in The Things They Carried exemplify tremendous pride in their actions‚ causing them to do good or bad things that they would not have the courage to do otherwise. O’Brien’s personal experience shows that the fear of being shamed before one’s fellow soldiers is a powerful motivating factor in war. He does not want to fight in a war he believes is unjust‚ but he does not want to be thought of as a coward. This same attitude among numerous characters sets a consistent
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Talia Hoffman 3-21-15 English 1 Allison Finn The Archetype of Water in The Things They Carried Water is the one of the most primal archetypes. It represents resurrection‚ purification and redemption. In the case of The Things They Carried‚ water is a constant companion to the characters of the story‚ whether good or bad. Water‚ in this book though‚ can also represent feeling of guilt and shame and the struggle involved with war. In some instances‚ the characters are desperate to find the purification
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In Tim O’Brien’s novel‚ The Things They Carried‚ numerous themes are illustrated by the author. Through the portrayal of a number of characters‚ Tim O’Brien suggests that to adapt to Vietnam is not always more difficult than to revert back to the lives they once knew. Correspondingly the theme of change is omnipresent throughout the novel‚ specifically in the depiction of numerous characters. Tim O’Brien is drafted one month after graduating from Macalester College to fight a war he hated. Tim
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The Things They Carried‚ by Tim O’Brien All of the men from Tim O’Brien’s book "The Things They Carried" carried physical items and unresolved emotional baggage. The men held onto the physical items and inside held the feelings to help them cope with and escape from the Vietnam war. However‚ after the war‚ they carried memories and scars that reminded them of and brought them back to Vietnam. In the first chapter of the book‚ O’Brien discusses the physical items the men carry with them.
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Tim O’Brien’s story about vietnam war is The Things They Carried. This work tells what the soldiers went through the time during Vietnam. As the story begins‚ it focuses on the Alpha Company is sent to fight in Vietnam war. The soldiers carry goods and personal items to be able to survive. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carries letters and pictures from a female named Martha. The first casualty for the company is Ted Lavender‚ shot dead. Cross blames himself for the death because he thinks he was too busy
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The Things They Carried: Chapter 1 Significant Quote: “In the accompanying letter‚ Martha wrote that she had found the pebble on the Jersey shoreline‚ precisely where the land touched the water at high tide‚ where things came together but also separated.” (8) Speaker: Tim O’Brien Audience: The reader Significance: This symbolizes Martha and Jimmy’s feelings for each other. They are separated by the war‚ but together in their minds. Questions: 1. What prompted the separate-but-together thought
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