The Things They Carried Essay free essay sample

There were three types of women in The Things They Carried. These roles of women, displayed in Martha, Linda and Kathleen, were love, death, and an enabler. Although they are not seen in the story, women are very much on the mind of the men. Mainly because women could not be at war, O’Brien decided to introduce the women through the minds of the soldiers. The men idealize the women and portray their absence in letters, photographs and even in their imaginations. They do this as consolation and as a reminder that a world exists outside the monstrosity of Vietnam. Martha is Lt. Jimmy Crosss love, even though she had only considered him as a friend. OBriens uses their story to show a common trend between soldiers and the separation created by the war. When the soldiers returned home from the war, they quickly began trying to revitalize the lives they left before the war. We will write a custom essay sample on The Things They Carried Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page While Lt. Jimmy Cross was faced with death in Vietnam, he refuses to believe Martha isnt a virgin and that they could one day be together. This was a safe, comforting thought contrary to one of rejection and possible death during war. For soldiers in war, many of them think of someone or something they love and it helps them to persevere through the tough times. â€Å"He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war†. (42) During his time in Vietnam, Cross is obsessed with Martha leading to Ted Lavenders death. He burns her letters and photos as an attempt to reconcile his guilt. However, it’s at that later meeting where he receives a new photograph of her and all the feelings of guilt is felt as she rejects him due to the fact that she was never truly interested in him. Another women who had left her mark was Linda, Tim OBriens childhood love. Unfortunately she dies at the age of nine due to a brain tumor. Her role is to give Tim a reason to write stories, so that he can keep the memories alive. He believes that those who die can be revitalized through storytelling. Linda is the primary example of OBriens belief that storytelling aids the healing process of pain, confusion, and sadness that comes with an unexpected death. After she dies, O’Brien uses his writing skills to best create an everlasting memory in her honor. His past experiences with deaths such as Linda explains why he was able to handle death so well in Vietnam. Even though Norman Bowker and Kiowa die unexpectedly, they are both brought back to life in OBriens stories similar to Linda. By writing stories like these, it helps OBrien keep his sanity and peace in check. In conclusion to the first two women, Kathleen is the daughter of OBrien. Shes known as the enabler for OBriens stories that arent true. Similar to the reader, Kathleen is learning OBriens war stories and their true meanings. However, she has the means to question OBrien and truly unlock his mind to find all the small details hidden in the words. An example of her ability is seen when he revisits Vietnam. OBrien has a different perspective of his experiences when he thinks about how he should tell the story of the man he killed to his eight year old daughter. Stories are for joining the past to the future. Stories are for those late hours in the night when you cant remember how you got from where you were to where you are. Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except that story†. (34) It’s easy for the reader to misunderstand O’Brien during his storytelling of the harshness of the war. Tim is trying to paint a picture for his daughter without scaring her out of her shoes. Otherwise he could just tell her all the horrors he witnessed as well as the gruesome smell that arose from the war field. Although the women in The Things They Carried were not physically present during the war, they had a large emotional presence. This deeply affected almost all of the soldiers who were affected by the severity of the war and looked forward to returning home to a companion or family member. Most of the time women are said to play smaller roles in stories and in film, but not in the case of The Things They Carried. These leadings women were a big part of O’Brien’s success in explaining his story the way it was meant to be. The Things They Carried Essay free essay sample Why does O’Brien use the theme of rejection to convey his experience in war? In the book, The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien writes about his experience in the Vietnam War. He uses many themes to show how the war has changed the soldiers and how the citizens perceive the war. Throughout the book, he uses the theme of rejection to show the disconnection between the soldiers at war and the citizens at home. O’Brien defines the relationship among the soldiers from the beginning of war to the end. He shows the struggle and hardship of returning to everyday life and the acceptance of society. Rejection is a reoccurring theme that O’Brien uses, it helps the reader understand what went on in the war and the way societies’ views the war. The disconnection between the soldiers at war and the citizens at home is the most important example of rejection that O’Brien uses to further explain his experience in war. We will write a custom essay sample on The Things They Carried Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page O’Brien begins to talk about a true war story and how it makes the stomach believe. He says that Curt Lemon stepped on a booby-trap while playing with Rat Kiley and instantly died. Curt Lemon was dead. Rat Kiley had lost his best friend in the world. Later in the week he would write a long personal letter to the guy’s sister, who would not write back, but for now it was a question of pain. (79) This quote is a great example of how citizens at home do not understand and respond well to the soldiers at war. Rat Kiley had put a lot of thought into the letter he sent to Curt Lemon’s sister explaining what had happened and how great Curt Lemon was. Curt Lemon’s sister not writing back shows the disconnect between her and the soldiers and how she does not support the war. O’Brien also uses the relationship among the soldiers from the beginning of war to the end to explain the theme of rejection throughout the book. One important example of this is when Tim O’Brien got shot in the butt and the medic took so long to get to him, he almost died of shock. He was no longer able to fight in war and worked in the battalion supply section. A few months later, his group he used to go into war with came in for stand-down. After hearing their stories, O’Brien realizes he is more like a civilian now. O’Brien begins talking to Mitchell Sanders about Bobby Jorgenson, the medic who almost killed him. Sanders shrugged. â€Å"People change. Situations change. I hate to say this, man, but you’re out of touch. Jorgenson – he’s with us now. † â€Å"And I’m not? † Sanders looked at me for a moment. â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"I guess you’re not. † (197) This quote explains how being in war as a soldier creates a different relationship with the other soldiers than it does when you are not fighting in war or are a citizen. The last example of the theme of rejection and disconnection in The Things They Carried is the hardship of returning to everyday life. When Norman Bowker came home from the war he did not have anything to come home to and nothing to look forward to. He decided to take his father’s truck around a lake nearby their house and he stopped at the local AW. He honked and a carhop came up to his car. He began to order. Mama Burger,† he said. â€Å"Maybe some fries, too. † The girl sighed, leaned down, and shook her head. Her eyes were as fluffy and airy-light as cotton candy. â€Å"You blind? † she said. She put out her hand and tapped an intercom attached to a steel post. â€Å"Punch the button and place your order. All I do is carry the dumb trays. † †¦ The intercom squeaked and said , â€Å"Order. † â€Å"Mama Burger and fries,† Norman Bowker said. â€Å"Affirmative, copy clear. No rootie-tootie? † â€Å"Rootie-tootie? † â€Å"You know, man – root beer. † †¦ (151) This quote shows the disconnect between society and the soldiers at war. Once Norman Bowker came home, he was out of touch with society and it was hard for him to return to everyday life. He had been gone for so long that everything he came back to had changed. Throughout the book, The Things They Carried, O’Brien uses the theme of rejection to convey his experiences in war and explain societies’ view on war. He uses examples such as the disconnect between the soldiers at war and the citizens at home, the relationship among the soldiers from the beginning of war to the end, and the hardship of returning to everyday life. As we have discovered, being in the Vietnam war was not easy for any of the soldiers and most of the time they had many burdens and worries. Society was very disconnected with the war and many did not support it. The soldiers relationships changed greatly when the men were wounded or killed, and they had to adjust quickly to their constantly changing lifestyle. Once they came back home, it was very hard for them to get back into their normal routines and everyday life they once were accustomed to. The Things They Carried Essay free essay sample They Carried, is a novel composed of war stories from the Vietnam War. O’Brien tells the stories of not only himself, but stories from the men with whom he fought alongside. The main idea of the book is what these men carried, which was not only tangible objects, but emotions as well. Digging deeper into this meaning, many of the stories were changed from their true and factual selves to half true and half fictitious stories based on that person’s emotions at that time. Many writers, such as Tim O’Brien, find more truth in fiction than on the actual occurring event. In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried there is a blurred line between fact and fiction and the real Tim O’Brien and Tim’s character. Tim’s character represents his truth from his emotional views and the narrator Tim tells what really happened. Tim O’Brien’s character in The Things They Carried looked in the faces of the dead, but in reality he did not have the strength to look into the faces of the deceased. We will write a custom essay sample on The Things They Carried Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He could call this his own truth because his emotions are what he was writing down. All he did was take the way that he felt and added details and faces to events that actually occurred. For most people this is their own truth. Everybody has their own truth because memories are driven by emotion and the emotions can sometimes temporarily or even permanently block out what really happened and a story from factual events is created. Throughout the majority of the novel Tim uses character Tim over narrator Tim, but he does occasionally distinguish fact from emotions. During the instance when O’Brien’s daughter asks him if he has ever killed a man O’Brien hesitates in a truthful answer. It seems as though he is greatly conflicted because he feels as if he has killed a man, but he never actually killed a man. It is as if by him being a part of the war and not helping the dying men it is a fault of his that he could not help to save them by stopping it. His emotions told him he was a murderer who looked in the face of his victim, who was a young boy he created a life story for; when in reality that boy was never his kill. To the reader it seems that he is contradicting himself, but in actuality he is differentiating between himself and his emotional character. In the chapter, â€Å"How to Write a True War Story,† O’Brien tells the reader about the blurred line between fact and fiction. He tells us what a true war story is and what it is not. According to O’Brien a true war story is never moral, instructing, or uplifting. He also tells us that in a true war story, â€Å"it’s difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen. † He also tells us that it is â€Å"a hard an exact truth as it seemed. † This is where the lines become blurred. As it seems from the way O’Brien speaks, men do not have the courage to witness entire incidences such as Curt Lemon’s death. He writes that they watch pieces of it, close their eyes, and open them some more. Everything they remember seems true to them based on the facts. Readers may never truly know what happened, but they do know what that person was feeling based on the way the story was told. There is no clear line between fact and story for author Tim O’Brien. To him the lines blur together from time apart from the event and remembering the emotions felt. His novel The Things They Carried represents this idea through its use of storytelling. All of his short stories pieced together to create the novel each represent a different form of truth for different men along with Tim. O’Brien was successful in using this blurred line between fact and story for his war stories.