The Vietnam War In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

632 Words3 Pages
The Vietnam War was a very important time in American history, with so many tales coming from the field of battle. Thousands upon thousands of stories have been told over the years by the soldiers who were there, and all of them seem to follow a similar theme. The stories explain what had happened during the war, from the successful missions to the tragedies that affected an entire platoon for the rest of deployment. But the mark these tragedies leave don’t last for just the rest of the war, and what lies beneath these awe-inspiring stories is the horrible post-war trauma felt by the storytellers who still live with it today and will feel the sadness for the rest of their lives. As a result, 20% of these veterans have committed suicide. In Tim O’Brien’s book, The Things They Carried, the trauma of war produces the personal legacies of grief, therapeutic writing, and insanity.…show more content…
It was a very traumatizing position to be in because as a leader, he was partially responsible for everything that happened in his group. So when one of his men, Ted Lavender was shot and killed, he fell into a depression and blamed himself for fantasizing about his childhood sweetheart Martha because “He loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence, Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war” (5). As a result, Jimmy burns all of Martha’s letters he received out of anger. And unfortunately, he would have to carry that stone in his stomach after the war too. In the chapter Love, where he visited Tim 20 years after the war’s end, he said “he still hadn’t forgiven himself for Lavender’s death” (26), meaning he probably will live with this guilt for the rest of his life
Show More
Related

  • The Vietnam War In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

    442 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Vietnam War was a conflict between North Vietnam and South Vietnam; with the United States as allies to the South and Viet Cong allies to the North. This took place between the early 1950s to early 1970s. Soldiers both drafted and volunteered were sent to fight though the jungles of Vietnam. Tim O’Brien’s narrative The Things They Carried shows the experience of Vietnam from a typically soldiers view. In The Things They Carried the factors of emotional and physical burdens come into play throughout

    Read More

  • Journey In Tim O 'Brien's The Things They Carried'

    502 Words  | 3 Pages

    difficult process of personal change and development. In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried , T he characters are faced with a long V oyage marching through the Vietnam War. While marching, the soldiers are reminded of their family and loved ones because of the items they carry. This is to keep them close by and so they feel like their loved ones are with them at all time. These items keep their minds at ease as they travel through treterious war grounds and have to face frightening situations.

    Read More

More about The Vietnam War In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

Open Document