The Things They Carried

Name:
Instructor`s name:
Course:
Date:
The Things They Carried
Introduction
When speaking of western history in terms of existence of the human species, the events carried in the acts of war remain totemic in nature spanning through the entire landscape. There are physical as well as mental borders. These have a definition in terms of execution threats as well as an aura heavily hanging over the last century. The 20th Century has been identified as being the bloodiest in terms of the entire human existence (O'Brien 1990).
This period is termed as being by example efficient in mechanized destruction of human life. This can be seen by the holocaust.
The Things They Carried, written by Tim O`Brien does the reader striking relationship of what standing at The Wall really means. It exudes how the individual standing in front of the wall feels like. As much as the author terms the work as fictitious, it is the closest any other book has come to summing up what the men who fought in Vietnam went through as well as how the entire war set up was like.
Here, the author presents a collection of short fiction that eventually takes to the core of daily events the infantryman goes through. They completely manage to win over the heart and mind of the reader.
When it comes to the title story, it is able to list in detail everything that any foot soldier was able to carry in the Southeast of Asia. The story brings out the military words used as well as some of the less professional terms that formed part of the vocabulary. With the possessions of the soldiers, the reader is able to learn the entire personalities of the men as well as how similar they are with the rest of the human race.
Here, what the men carry in their backs swell until when the reader is able to recognize that not all these things form the true burden. Here, the burdens of having to care for one another as solders bring out the real reason for their care, as well as trust.
The Book
Obrien managed to have his stories woven in a tight manner that he is competent to get the reader off guard. The reader becomes deeply involved in the actions of the soldiers as well as the curiosity to understand what their lives provide (O'Brien 1990).
Even if, the men involved in the Alpha Company are fictional, they have some real aspects that readers almost believe them as they do the people they sit next to at work. To begin with, "How to Tell a True War Story," the author is able to expound the idea as well as how at times a lie can come closer to reality than evidences can be.
The ability for people to believe the thought of soldiers in the field is incredible. The author revisits the timeworn theater of war, dragging along his young daughter; the young girl`s voice is as spot-on as those men whom he depicts. For one to be able to decipher people sent to Vietnam, the book provides the best chance to enjoy the vividness and nature of the war.
The aim of the author was never to bring out scenes of combat as well there are no political assumptions and discussions. He does not cover any tactics for battle. Here, the reader gets what the soldiers go through. Here, the reader admires, cherishes and get to know the Alpha Company men. This is one thing not many books have been able to do.
Tim O`Brien goes to war for the reason that he is a coward. His fellow combatants fight are killed because they are embarrassed not to. He terms them as being too scared to become cowards. In this book, O`Brien manages to bring out his upside-down truisms. These are out of a brilliant and moving collection of meta-fictional stories depicting the Vietnam War.
The best thing is that the tales brought about by O`Brien`s tales play out fast and come in loose with facts. Sometimes he does use some real names. He; however, assures the reader he has the permission from some of his old war friends to do so (O'Brien 1990).
Some other times his plots can swerve off freakishly into the genres of horror and fiction. Sometimes, just before the author insinuates he has his bearings, O`Brien reveals that he has just been messing around with the reader`s head. This can be seen in the quotation "In war you lose your sense of the definite, hence your sense of truth itself, and; therefore it`s safe to say that in a true war story nothing is ever absolutely true."However, Tim O`Brien was; in fact, drafted into the Vietnam War. At the time, he considered running off to Canada. However, he was overwhelmed by the sense of shame and did not go through with the plan. He had a close relationship with other soldiers in his unit. This perhaps is the reason for the vivid depiction of the war in his book. This is through battle, fear as well as seeing death right in front of his eyes.
It was immediately after he came back that he began writing. His attempt was to wrap his mind around the Vietnam War paradox. He writes of war being hell, he adds that,
"But that`s not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead."
Here, the title story, "The Things They Carried", he is able to account the entire belongings of each individual soldier in the unit he was enlisted to. He uses souvenirs, pictures, toothbrushes, armaments and uniform parts to bring out the core of it all.
Although the scenes represent an actual Vietnam War, the rest is an invention. He manages to bring out the history of the war through a soldier`s mind. He is also able to adopt the big fish story. This is mainly because soldiers who have gone through the war are known to tell as the lot of lies, stories of ghosts as well as battle. They also have grave imagination of getting back home and the impact it creates. Such stories are meant to capture the horrible essence of the problems in the combat zones. His writings come out as though ...