The Things They Carried by O’Brien, Tim

Posted: October 17th, 2013

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The Things They Carried by O’Brien, Tim

The book The Things They Carried is a collection of stories that was written by O’Brien, Tim about a squad of American defense forces in the Vietnam War. The book was initially published in 1990 by Houghton Mifflin. The book is a collection of stories that happened in real life that are sometimes interpreted as fiction as they are a mixture of real life experiences and fiction. The book focuses on the happenings in the Vietnam War and the biographies of the soldiers who fought in it. The Vietnam War was marked by the clash between the East and the West with the inclusion of other militant groups.

            The book was written by a graduate of Macalester College who experienced the first hand effect of the war. Most of his work is based on the actual experiences in the Vietnam over 40 years ago. The short stories in the book are all interconnected and speak of similar stories and have different characters and plots (O’Brien, 1990 p18). The book opens with the title The Things They Carried that is very powerful and captivating. The story shifts from unexciting stories to meaningful ones where one-story talks of the different things that were carried are displayed for instance canvas tarps, stationery and letters to another which talks about men conducting themselves with dignity (O’Brien, 1990 p23).

            Unlike most novelists, Tim O’Brien brings out the emotional side of war as he elaborates on the trials, efforts and happenings in the Vietnam War from a perspective that is humane. The whole book was also very instructive. Most of the war tactics and procedures illustrated in the book can very informative to most amateurs. The author had a strong opinion concerning the effect of the war on the soldier’s characters and behavior. Most of his references leant toward assuming that the war changed the demeanor of soldiers (O’Brien, 1990 p27). However, this is far from true in that although the war was influential, most soldiers were disciplined beforehand and the war only served to increase their moral predisposition.

            The book revolves around the Vietnam War but not all the stories are set in Vietnam. The last story in the collection, “The lives of the Dead”, speaks about the death of one of their squad members but does not end in Vietnam. Instead, the story talks about the childhood experiences when the author and his friends were still children and their memorable date with a brain tumor victim (O’Brien, 1990 p31-4). At this point, the suggestions of fiction are clearly illustrated in the invented dream that he had in 1990 where the tumor victim was in love with the author. The book raises issues on the welfare of the soldiers during war, the relationships forged during the war and other major events such as killing the enemy in the battlefield (O’Brien, 1990 p38).

            After reading the collection of short stories about what happened in Vietnam, the reader gets a change of heart and attitudes toward soldiers. Typically, most people regard soldiers as strict, merciless and inactive individuals who are only skilled at killing human beings. After seeing the relationship in the book, soldiers begin to have a more humane aspect to them. The Vietnam soldiers had girlfriends, family and friends whom they loved and cherished greatly. These soldiers also displayed great compassion and mercy even for the enemy as they understand even these people have families and futures that they think of (O’Brien, 1990 p41-2). Similar authors who have written extensively on the Vietnam War such as Karl Marlantes (Matterhon) and Michael Herr (Dispatches) share the sentiment that soldiers are humane and normal people (O’Brien, 1990 p67).

            The book is an interesting read as it offers stories from different soldiers and their perspectives about life, love, relationships and work. The book also has a combination of somber moods and humorous occasions that keep a reader wondering what Tim O’Brien wrote in the next story. The shortness of each story gives a reader an easy time to finish the book as well as understand the soldiers being mentioned and connect with their experiences. The combination of real-life experiences and fantasy provides informative and entertaining reading.

References

O’Brien, T. (1990). The things they carried: A work of fiction. Boston: Houghton Mifflin

The book The Things They Carried is a collection of stories that was written by O’Brien, Tim about a squad of American defense forces in the Vietnam War. The book was initially published in 1990 by Houghton Mifflin. The book is a collection of stories that happened in real life that are sometimes interpreted as fiction as they are a mixture of real life experiences and fiction. The book focuses on the happenings in the Vietnam War and the biographies of the soldiers who fought in it. The Vietnam War was marked by the clash between the East and the West with the inclusion of other militant groups.

The book was written by a graduate of Macalester College who experienced the first hand effect of the war. Most of his work is based on the actual experiences in the Vietnam over 40 years ago. The short stories in the book are all interconnected and speak of similar stories and have different characters and plots (O’Brien, 1990 p18). The book opens with the title The Things They Carried that is very powerful and captivating. The story shifts from unexciting stories to meaningful ones where one-story talks of the different things that were carried are displayed for instance canvas tarps, stationery and letters to another which talks about men conducting themselves with dignity (O’Brien, 1990 p23).

Unlike most novelists, Tim O’Brien brings out the emotional side of war as he elaborates on the trials, efforts and happenings in the Vietnam War from a perspective that is humane. The whole book was also very instructive. Most of the war tactics and procedures illustrated in the book can very informative to most amateurs. The author had a strong opinion concerning the effect of the war on the soldier’s characters and behavior. Most of his references leant toward assuming that the war changed the demeanor of soldiers (O’Brien, 1990 p27). However, this is far from true in that although the war was influential, most soldiers were disciplined beforehand and the war only served to increase their moral predisposition.

The book revolves around the Vietnam War but not all the stories are set in Vietnam. The last story in the collection, “The lives of the Dead”, speaks about the death of one of their squad members but does not end in Vietnam. Instead, the story talks about the childhood experiences when the author and his friends were still children and their memorable date with a brain tumor victim (O’Brien, 1990 p31-4). At this point, the suggestions of fiction are clearly illustrated in the invented dream that he had in 1990 where the tumor victim was in love with the author. The book raises issues on the welfare of the soldiers during war, the relationships forged during the war and other major events such as killing the enemy in the battlefield (O’Brien, 1990 p38).

After reading the collection of short stories about what happened in Vietnam, the reader gets a change of heart and attitudes toward soldiers. Typically, most people regard soldiers as strict, merciless and inactive individuals who are only skilled at killing human beings. After seeing the relationship in the book, soldiers begin to have a more humane aspect to them. The Vietnam soldiers had girlfriends, family and friends whom they loved and cherished greatly. These soldiers also displayed great compassion and mercy even for the enemy as they understand even these people have families and futures that they think of (O’Brien, 1990 p41-2). Similar authors who have written extensively on the Vietnam War such as Karl Marlantes (Matterhon) and Michael Herr (Dispatches) share the sentiment that soldiers are humane and normal people (O’Brien, 1990 p67).

The book is an interesting read as it offers stories from different soldiers and their perspectives about life, love, relationships and work. The book also has a combination of somber moods and humorous occasions that keep a reader wondering what Tim O’Brien wrote in the next story. The shortness of each story gives a reader an easy time to finish the book as well as understand the soldiers being mentioned and connect with their experiences. The combination of real-life experiences and fantasy provides informative and entertaining reading.

References

O’Brien, T. (1990). The things they carried: A work of fiction. Boston: Houghton Mifflin