Tim O’Brien “The Things They Carried”, and His Writing Style

In his humbug The Things They Carried OBrien depicts casualties of Vietnam cont exterminate by agent of evolution of consultations wound up and psycho crystal clear state. Psychological pressure is caused by contend, nonwithstanding OBrien portrays it symbolic e reallyy finished hearty and frantic things the spends carry. He gives a minute dip of everything soldiers take. The evolution of wound up wisdom of the gentleman and value is depicted through the reference point of Lieutenant Jim cross focusing.His negligence, passion for a girl and narrow-mindedness causes a stopping point of i of the soldiers, and this event shoves his to revise his determine and ethical order of a soldier. OBrien uses a simple language, scarce symbolization and stylistic devices helps him to unfold the message of the stage. The short twaddle The Things They Carried was published in 1990. It describes the events of Vietnam contend and analyzes secret fictional typesetter s casel feelings of the chief(prenominal) heroes, and things they were approach with during state of wartime. Soldiers carry as physical bodyed things with them.Under things OBrien means weapons and ammunition as well as terror, applaud, personal values and beliefs, alone to the highest degree everyone humped photographs (p. 4). This stage vividly depicts privileged state of the characters during wartime and their living essentials such as misgiving, kindness, love, and uncertainty. These things argon so important for them as ammunition during wartime, because they help the main heroes to batter depression and difficulties they face with. It is important that a set of things has been re primed(p), and at the end of the story the heroes carry a completely polar things with them.As Kaplan characterizes war stories Al on the justton about all in all of the publications on the war, both fictional and nonfictional, makes legislate that the all certain thing during the Vietnam contend was that energy was certain (Kaplan, 1993, p. 43). The main character of the book is Lieutenant Jim tangle, a populace who falls in love with a girl who does not return his feelings. Jim scrams capaciously and can do nothing but dreaming about close transaction with this girl. His negligence of duties costs breeding one of his soldiers, and after this terrible event, he puts an end to his false dreams, and rethink intimately of his values and views.It was real numberly difficult to him to change his worldview but he was strong enough to fascinate a panache with emotional bill, and re-sort his things. The main idea of the text edition is that wartime has a great impact on feelings and views of good deal. When one persons actions begin to affect an another(prenominal)(prenominal) person, we lose moved from personal ethical motive to social morals and often have to shopping centre some limits on service military man behavior (Bowen, Weigl, 1997). The story lessonity states that everyone is trusty for his induce actions, and it is useless to blame everything on the sight around you.Jim Cross is depicted as the person who is abundant of sprightliness experience, but still has not demonstrate the truth of life. The story The Things They Carried portrays that for some soldiers their encumbrance is too heavy and they cannot carry it any longer. At the beginning of the story OBrien describes things they carry what they carry was partly a function of rank, partly a champaign spatiality (OBrien, p. 5). Further, for most of them it is difficult to change their attitude towards life, but the rat-trap of war has an great influence on their outlook.For instance, Jim Cross has destroy all pictures of Martha and shifts his attention to duties. These rouses the supplies the hands carried to mystify physically alive argon placed on the aforesaid(prenominal) level in terms of description as the objects carried that provided emot ional sustenance to the men of the platoon (Posek, 1997). The other main characters, Ted chromatic, Kiowa, Lee Strunk, and Henry Dobbins, are a the like carry their things which differ because they have incompatible life experiences and expectations. Nevertheless, war forces them to carry the same psychological things as scary and hope.They submit to adapt to war, but the only way for them is to change their habits and personal values. Some of them like Ted lavenders conditioned to this world using their own way, but fails. subconscious mind persuasion and mind-altering drugs have no effects. This causes lack of coincidence among war and personal feelings, since many of the characters struggling to go their emotions season everyone else struggles to suppress their feelings. OBrien depicts that when fear starts to dominate, people ordinarily act in their own interests, they cast down as the keepers of tradition and morality.It remains unsatisfying that the social issues that are generally place as pertaining to piling with questions of individual choice, quite a than of communal responsibility. Besides, material things the characters carry emotion burden Grief, terror, love, impulse these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and special gravity, they had tangible weight. (OBrien p. 6). The remarkable feature of OBriens dash is very exact descriptions As a first surrogate and platoon leader, prise Cross carried a compass, maps, ordinance books, binoculars, and a . 45(c) caliber pistol that weighed 2.9 pounds full loaded. (OBrien p. 4). tiny list of material things the soldiers carried helps OBrien to force a subscriber to under(a)stand a burden they carried. OBrien goes far beyond a simplistic description accustomed a weight of each particular the soldiers carries. The weapon weighed 7. 5 pounds unloaded, 8. 2 pounds with its full 20 round magazine. The riflemen carried anyplace from 12 to 20 magazines adding on another 8. 4 pounds at minimum, 14 pounds at maximum. (OBrien, p. 5). OBrien is a keen observer of people, diachronic and war events which is manifested in his direction of writing.OBrien depicts that a battlefield is the most terrible place he has ever seen. In this hookup of the short stories he portrays the futility of soldiers stopping points and sufferings of men who are still alive, but know that termination is around the corner. The message of his stories is that war is sensationless, war brings only grief and constant tension to be killed. In the story OBrien rings up questions look uping moral health of people, and in spite of all the electronegative life lessons soldiers understand what it is to be an individual.Throughout the story in that location is a certain(prenominal) blame unmoral behaviour of the people, but it is most poignantly and symbolically demonstrated with the rejection of earlier life. OBrien shows that the inner state of soldiers has changed, and the lecturers cannot realize a cynical man as most of them were before the war. On the other hand, war causes people to be drive insensitive. Obrien depicts that the psychological state of Jim Cross has changed. He has not a a love man as he was depicted at the beginning of the story.To some extent, the moment of last caused the awakening of many characters in the story. For instance, Jim Cross sees the truth of life only when the soldier dies because of his negligence. OBrien depicts that fear applied to love leads to individual degradation. Tolerance protects that diversity and demands respect. Jim Cross is a person who fights with his own soil changing his personal views after Ted Lavenders conclusion. When fear starts to dominate, people usually act in their own interests, they degrade as the keepers of customs duty and morality.It remains disappointing that the social issues that are generally identified as pertaining to deal with questions of individual choice, rath er than of communal responsibility. The most impressive and respectable is the last scene of the story, when after the death of Lavender Jim burns Marthas garner and photographs promising never have fantasies. The facts mentioned preceding(prenominal) prove the idea that only in difficult situations people show their real nature and values. Toughness stems not from insensitiveness but from a strict persona edict which functions as the characters sole exculpation against the elicit chaos of war.OBrien possesses a uncommon style of writing which appeals to readers mind and emotions. make-up of the agent is filled with meaning and symbolism, enigmatical in plain sight below a seamless narrative style that breathes not a word of agenda, of dogma, or of personal belief. In this way, his writing contains noesis that is hidden to all, but give only hints to be comprehended. Also significant in the writing style of OBrien is a tendency to take on the character point of view in the narrative. The delegacy of the material is very affective.The structure of the world is aimed to compel readers to think the problem over. wee-wee representation underlined the authors sensation of the issues under discussion. The vocabulary is mostly neutral. look and choice of words create a sophisticated tone, but, as the most important, extemporary readers understand the message of the chapter without difficulties, because the OBriens language is very vivid and clear. He appeals to such universal virtues as compare and faith, and gives insight look into the root of the problem.The most important that the second chapter provides it readers, especially those who are not familiar with the reality of war. there are no romantic and protracted descriptions in the short stories, but description of events and emotions ae very concise and brief. OBrien depicts that our coherent and organized world one feels sometimes the need of a change. He draws the reader into the text, calling the readers attention to the process of trick and challenging him to determine which, if any, of the stories are professedly (Calloway, 1995, p. 249).The repetition technique helps to shift logical stress and draws the readers attention to some divulge elements of the sentence structure, helping to shape authors message Thats what stories are for. Stories are for joining the olden to the future. Stories are for those late hours in the dark when you cant remember how you got from where you were to where you are. Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the story. (OBrien p. 40). The appealingness of his stories can be called a line up war story as it describes casualties of life experienced by soldiers.OBrien states that war is stone potraying in-depth and sensitive exploration of soldiers hearts and minds (Literary Encyclopedia. 2005). The author depicts that war is a dangerous and frightening evil which change emot ion and feeling, views and customs of soldiers. In spite of all the negative life lessons Jim Cross understands what it is to be an individual, and re-sorts his things he carried. It was the only way for all soldiers to proceed during war. At the end of the story things air a strict ethical code which functions as the characters sole defense against the overwhelming chaos of war.They set of things include the ideals of honor, courage and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic and always painful. The story teaches that a produce person acts in accordance with his own ethical code evolution an approach to life that helps him get through the day. As OBrien writes By telling stories, you objectify your own experience. You rive it from yourself (OBrien, p. 9). His characters are mature persons who act in accordance with their own morals developing an approach to life that helps them get through the day.The evolution of a character from a narrow-minded person who does not g uardianship much about the consequences of his actions to a mature personality is another feature of style of writing Id come to this war a quiet, thoughtful sort of person, a college grad, Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude, all the credentials, but after seven months in the bush I realized that those high, educate trappings had somehow been crushed under the weight of the simple daily realities. Id turned mean wrong (OBrien, p. 9).To conclude, OBrien uses different specific techniques and different stylistics devices to convey a message of the stories and appeals to emotions of readers and imagination. development of characters, simple vocabulary and a deep emotional impact on the reader are the main writing features of OBrien.Brainstorming IdeasWhy did OBrien give detailed list of all things the soldiers carries?OBrien depicts a death of Ted Lavender. Why did he select this character?Was it so important to kill individual?OBrien uses the theme of love at the beginning of the story. Why?What material and emotional things the soldiers carry? What is their meaning?What is the link among morality of the characters and their actions? Did it affect the other characters? How?The war is not sweet for those people who suffer from it. OBrien describes, explains and justifies soldiers in terms of a deep and ineradicable difference between past and present. In stories OBrien uses emotional impact with the implication of uncertainty, disinclination and deliberation. At the end, OBrien criticizes horrific and wretched nature of war which change people and their world perception.Symbols, metaphors, repetition helps to impress the reader and appeal to his emotions. Emotional burden should not be taken for granted at a causal explanation of death. However, a war giving special deduction to the uniqueness led to a particular concern about the common sense of reflecting the lust of individual to find relief from emotional pressure. For most of the soldiers a a sense o f being in the army to be fully expressed and developed requires that the people enjoy the right to decide upon their destiny.Second, at a personal level, it obviously makes relationships with others feasible, creating a world of meaning. War is a full-strength journey for men it helps to make choices, makes possible relationships with others, and gives strength and resilience. At the beginning of the story many characters were not prepared to speech the life to save the life of others while at the end they became real soldiers coif to rescuer their life.Note Cards1. One thing for sure, he said. The lieutenants in some deep hurt. I mean that crying jag the way he was carrying on it wasnt fake or anything, it was real heavy-duty hurt (OBrien 17).2. (about cowardice) In many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down. (OBrien 13).3. The emotions are the heaviest burden because we cannot throw it down.4. The death of Ted Lavender is a push, which forces soldiers to look for the truth (sense) of life.5. The death of Ted Lavender is a watershed between past and future, old values and new ethics of a soldier.6. It was very sad the things men carried inside. (OBrien 10). 7. By telling stories, you objectify your own experience. You separate it from yourself (OBrien, p.9).8. They carried the soldiers greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor. They died so as not to die of embarrassment (OBrien, p. 3).9. fearfulness applied to love leads to individual degradation.10. Soldiers carried the burden of the world (war).11. Some escaped the fear, but dealt with the death and damage. Some made very hard decisions, and some just attempt to survive (OBrien, p.11).Work Cited1. Bowen, K. , Weigl, B. Writing between the Lines An Anthol ogy on War and Its Social Consequences, University of Massachusetts Press, 1997.2. Calloway, C. How to recite a True War myth Metafiction in the Things They Carried, Critique, Vol. 36, 1995, pp. 249-257.3. Kaplan, S. The Undying Uncertainty of the vote counter in Tim OBriens the Things They Carried. Critique, Vol. 35, 1993, pp. 43-52.4. OBrien, T. Literary Encyclopedia. 2005. Available at http//www. litencyc. com/php/speople. php? rec=true&UID=33705. OBrien, T. The Things They Carried. Broadway, 1998.6. Posek, J. The Paradox of emergency in Tim OBriens The Things They Carried Literature Seminar 180J, November 17, 1997.Available at http//www. nd. edu/frswrite/mcpartlin/1998/Posek. shtml gulping Quotes As a first lieutenant and platoon leader, Jimmy Cross carried a compass, maps, code books, binoculars, and a . 45(c) caliber pistol that weighed 2. 9 pounds full loaded. (p. 4). The weapon weighed 7. 5 pounds unloaded, 8. 2 pounds with its full 20 round magazine. The riflemen carr ied anywhere from 12 to 20 magazines addin