Analysis Of Tim O Brien s The Things They Carried

The Silent Killer: An Analysis of Imagination Evolving into a Distraction in Tim O’Brien’s â€Å"The Things They Carried† In Tim O’Brien’s â€Å"The Things They Carried†, O’Brien created several allusions that each character endured during the Vietnam War. Throughout the story were vast representations of the things the soldiers carried both mentally and physically. The things they carried symbolized their individual roles internally and externally. In addition to the symbolism, imagination was a focal theme that stood out amongst the characters. This particular theme played a role as the silent killer amongst Lt. Cross and the platoon both individually and collectively as a group. The theme of imagination created an in depth look of how the war was perceived through each character which helped emphasize their thoughts from an emotional standpoint of being young men out at war. Imagination hindered the platoon which clouded their judgment and decision making. Instead of remaining focused their wandering mind lacked what was necessary, assessing the task at hand. â€Å"In some respects, though not many, the waiting was worse than the tunnel itself. Imagination was a killer.† (O’Brien 619) In relation to the quote â€Å"imagination was a killer†, this metaphor represents how the soldiers made situations like being in the tunnel mentally challenging for them. Paranoia quickly consumed their thoughts and emotions before partaking in the actual mission. The menShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis Of Tim O Brien s Things They Carried1183 Words   |  5 Pagespoetic qualities such as literary devices, imagery, and theme, and many more. Tim O’Brien’s Things They Carried depicts a fragmented stories about his and other soldiers’ experiences that occurred in the Vietnam War. Similarly, the poem, â€Å"Facing It† shows a s oldier who returns to the Memorial of the Vietnam War where he recalls his own trauma in the war as he looks at the stones. Both the prose, Things They Carried and the poem, â€Å"Facing it† conveys the similar theme where they are struggling toRead MoreAnalysis Of Tim O Brien s The Things They Carried Essay1574 Words   |  7 Pages To Ban or not to Ban : The Things They Carried Host: Hello and welcome to ban or not to ban, where the nations most exciting topics are discussed between opposing parties. Today we re debating whether or not to ban â€Å"Tim O Brien s novel The Things They Carried. In this book author Tim O’Brien depicts the Vietnam conflict by distinguishing between the role of whether or not to be a civilian or a soldier. Though the book is fictional, Tim O’Brien portrays himself as a man who strugglesRead MoreAnalysis Of Tim O Brien s The Things They Carried Essay997 Words   |  4 PagesXizhao Liu(Amber) American Literature Essay #3 Nov. 11, 2016 Male love in The Things They Carried The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a fictional book consisting of different stories from Vietnam war. Tim O’Brien was trying to convey the real perspectives of the war to his readers by telling facts and stories through his personal memories he got from the war, and how things effect them and their life after the war. In order to express the tension in the war, O’Brien depicts the experience ofRead MoreAnalysis Of Tim O Brien s The Things They Carried 1187 Words   |  5 PagesThere were many things the soldiers carried with them during the Vietnam War. They carried guns and ammo, rations and canteens, and things necessary for survival. The soldiers also carried letters, photographs and land of Vietnam itself. Tim O’Brien tells of this in The Things They Carried, a book detailing the lives of the soldiers in Vietnam through the things the men carried with them. Not everything the men carried was physical, however. The soldiers carried ghosts, mem ories, and burdens. EveryoneRead MoreAnalysis Of Tim O Brien s The Things They Carried Essay2347 Words   |  10 PagesThe decision to go to war is not a decision that is taken lightly. In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien faces cultural, social and political push factors that end up leading him to forgo his plan to dodge the draft, and to report as instructed, a mere yards away from his destination of Canada. In Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony, Rocky and Tayo, two young Native American men, experience cultural, social and political pull factors that draw them into the Army, fighting the Second WorldRead MoreAnalysis Of Tim O Brien s The Things They Carried All Experience1859 Words   |  8 PagesYou: Tim O Brien s Methods To Overcome Loss Throughout the 1980s, Dr. Terence M. Keane ran experiments on a new idea called exposure therapy. The case studied how victims of trauma would react to being repeatedly shown places, imagines, and stories that mirrored theirs. In the study was twenty four veterans of the Vietnam War, and at the end of the study, they no longer had reactions classified as severe anxiety. Like the veterans in this case study, soldiers in Tim O Brien s The Things TheyRead MoreAnalysis Of Tim O Brien s The Things They Carried During The War Essay1532 Words   |  7 PagesIn this paper I will argue that in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried during the war a person experience develop guilt from an event that happened during the war and how it affects them for life. The three people specifically, I will take about are First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, Norman Bowker, and Tim. Telling about how the experienced guilt, where the guilt comes from, and if they ever find absolution. The first story of two stories for First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross feels guilty about the deathRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Things They Carried 2006 Words   |  9 Pages 1. Birth-October 1, 1946; present 2. The things they carried was written in the late 1980 s and published in 1990. The novel acts as a response to the era it discusses by solidifying the un-generalized version of war through fictional anecdotes from the narrator and characters. The truth is never portrayed through historic context or media, and with this novel, the author was able to reciprocate the emotions felt by soldiers from the graphic scenes or actions envisioned/written. 3. FactorsRead MoreThe Things They Carried Critical Analysis1538 Words   |  7 Pagesafter the Fall of Saigon, the Vietnam War remains an affliction for Vietnam War Veterans and their families. Millions of our youth were forced to leave their home and carry inconceivable burdens. Thus, as a Veteran, Tim O’Brien can depict thoroughly their burdens in â€Å"The Things They Carried†. His story brings us back to war-torn Vietnam and First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his platoon. Cross is the commanding officer; however, he does not concentrate on the war but on his unrequited love. As a resultRead MoreThe Vietnam War Has Far Reaching Consequences For The United States1710 Words   |  7 Pagesof American history is a national disgrace. This research paper will deal with some of the more intriguing aspects and effects of this war. Since the Vietnam conflict made absolutely no sense politically, militarily or economically, the value of analysis must come on the individual level. The Vietnam War had far-reaching consequences for the United States. This paper will exhaustively discuss how these issues caused the psychological effects of the Vietnam War on the soldiers morale afore the war