Major themes in Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”

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5 word format

document in English

literature

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published 25/09/2008

review : Completed

level : General public

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Summary

The effects of the Vietnam War left men with terrible everlasting images and countless troubles, according to Tim O’Brien’s novel that portrays a war that was meaningless and strung out. O’Brien’s book, “The Things They Carried” describes the everyday issues that war soldiers experienced and also explains the underlying problems they were facing during the time. The narrator, also named Tim, talks about the meaningless activities and games that the men played to keep structure to their lives, and to keep their minds off of the existing conflict. The characters also use pungent images of the ways in which a war like this can leave a person post-conflict, and at the same time the book gives examples of the effects that the war actually left on men. In the given situation, depression was inevitable, especially during the struggles and tribulations that men were opposed to performing. Soldiers struggled to keep their lives as “normal” as they possibly could during the war that most weren’t sure they believed in. One thing that O’Brien elaborates on throughout the book is the trust that is gained in not only your fellow soldiers and comrades, but also with the people that you were fighting the war against.