Fear And Shame In The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

The theme of “The Things They Carried” is a physical or mental challenge or emotion that they bear through life. It is demonstrated by symbolism, through flashback, and through the author's point of

The battle within himself leads him to say, “I feared the war, yes, but I also feared exile. I was afraid of walking away from my own life, my friends and family, my whole history, everything mattered to me. I feared losing the respect of my parents. I feared the law” (O’Brien 42). The moral struggle that he was faced with was the concept of leaving everything for a war he did not even agree with.

In “The Things They Carried”, by Tim O’Brien, There are many ideas and desires running through the head of every soldier in Vietnam. It is a challenging war to fight, and also a very hard one to come home from as it was an incredibly unpopular war. Many soldiers faced conflicting desires on the battlefield, but the most interesting example of conflicting desires was Mary Anne Bell. She was the elementary school girlfriend of the young medic Mark Fossie, who was staying at a base in the mountains of Chu Lai. Many soldiers at the base always joked about it being so safe, and with so few officials, that someone could actually fly their girlfriend in and they would both be fine.

War is a very psychologically traumatizing event. In Tim O’Brien’s novel The Things They Carried, he highlights the harrowing effects war has on a person’s psyche. Characters such as Norman Bowker, Tim O’Brien, and Jimmy Cross are deeply affected by war, but how they deal with their guilt is completely different. Norman Bowker’s dealing with his war guilt is highlighted in “Speaking of Courage”. This story displays Bowker’s dealings after the war in his town and how he deals with guilt over his friend, Kiowa’s death.

Death and destruction caused by war can become permanently embedded in the minds of those who actively participated in combat long after the conflict has officially come to an end. Their memories, decisions, and personality can be influenced by what they experienced while serving in combat. The burdens that were placed upon them by horrible circumstances have the ability to become a permanent fixture, never leaving a person for as long as they exist. Tim O’Brien explores the origin of these burdens throughout one of his most famous works. Through a psychological analysis, it can be determined that O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” connects the temporary physical burdens with the permanent emotional burdens experienced by soldiers during

The American Revolution was a war of principles fought between the Loyalists and the Patriots. The Loyalists believed that they should stay loyal to the king because they didn't want to go into war. They didn't want to lose their fortune or businesses because if the Patriots won they would lose it all. Moreover, the Patriots fought for the principle of freedom. They fought for their rights.

In Tim O’Brien’s novel The Things They Carried, love, shame and enemies plays a vital role. Love plays in imperative role because the heartache can add on extra to the soldiers. The hurt the men carry can be a distraction to them. Tim O’Brien expresses how Lieutenant

The Things They Carried “Guilt is cancer. Guilt will confine you, torture you, destroy you as an artist. It's a black wall. It's a thief.” - David Grohl.

In the book The Things They Carried Tim- O’Brien experiences many altercations that either happens to him or happens to his infantry group of soldiers. This was a nonlinear novel because the chapters jump from one subject to another. O’Brien experienced tragic lifetime events in his battle career when it came to him deciding if he was going to publish a novel or not with his twenty years of active duty. O'Brien's two themes shame/guilt and storytelling/memory was being used. The themes relate to him because these are the things he uses and experiences.

Combat is one of those incidents, where the best and the worst of people will be shown. The effects from combat could last minutes to a lifetime and will define people for the rest of their lives. To overcome the effects, people must have coping mechanisms. In the book, The Things They Carried, a platoon of soldiers is followed in their quest to survive the Vietnam War. The soldiers developed coping mechanisms to deal with stress so they can function normally and survive the war.

Because he pins blame on embarrassment, he saves himself the torture of admitting his “desire” wasn't strong enough to compete with his need to conform to societal expectations. As Tim and Elroy swim away from the Canadian side of the river, Tim has lost a war of his own, against societal pressure and as he “[cries ] loud, hard crying” the author shows how he doesn't believe himself to be like one of his heroes from his youth. Referenced earlier when said “Behave like the heroes of our youth, bravely and forthrightly, without thought of personal loss” Tim couldn't put aside the personal loss associated with the following of his desires, leading to accepting a life of a

Shame is felt differently by all, throughout different times and for different reasons. In the book “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, he illustrates this clearly utilizing stories from the Vietnam War or of moments after. Tim O’Brien himself is a clear example of this, as the experiences he went through and wrote about within various settings in his book capture the theme of shame and what comes with it. Shame has extremely detrimental effects which are displayed many times throughout the story when talking about his experiences before the war, inside of the frontlines, and from a support role within the backlines. O’Brien’s real first instance of shame within the book is displayed before he even joined the war.

When Tim was put into this dilemma he would be able to feel the shame and guilt off of others if he didn’t go to war. His peers, family members and community would never forgive him for going to Canada; they would think as him as a disappointment because he didn’t have the ability to stand up and fight for his country. “There were times when [he] thought [he’d] gone off the psychic edge”(P.48), which would be his natural reaction for being guilted into doing something that he didn’t want to do. He was ashamed that others around him were capable of going to war and he wasn’t, for this reason, instead of going to Canada he went to go and fight. Tim was influenced by the people around him because if he didn’t do what they wanted then he would feel this level of guilt and shame that would last a lifetime.

The author was writing the story “The Things They Carried” expressed so many thoughts and feelings about what the soldiers had faced, they showed their feelings and duties, life or death, and overall fear and dedication. This story shows the theme of the physical and emotional burdens that everyone is going through in the war. By showing his readers what the soldier’s daily thoughts are and how they handle what is going on around them. Tim O’Brien expresses this theme by using characterization, symbolism, and tone continuously. In the story, physical and emotional burdens plagued several characters as they all had baggage weighing them down.

The novel focuses on coping with the death and horror of war. It also speaks volumes about the true nature of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the never-ending struggle of dealing with it. In the