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

In his fib The Things They Carried OBrien depicts casualties of Vietnam contend finished evolution of types emotional and psycho coherent state. Psychological pressure is caused by war, that OBrien portrays it symbolic tot bothyy through poppycock and emotional things the soldiers evince. He gives a detailed list of e realthing soldiers take. The evolution of emotional perception of the innovation and determine is depicted through the reputation of Lieutenant Jim crossway.His negligence, passion for a young woman and narrow-mindedness causes a demise of one of the soldiers, and this event forces his to revise his determine and estimable commandment of a soldier. OBrien uses a simple language, and symbolism and stylistic devices helps him to unfold the put across of the fabrication. The short apologue The Things They Carried was produce in 1990. It describes the events of Vietnam War and analyzes deep nearlybodyal feelings of the of import heroes, and things t hey were faced with during wartime. Soldiers stock distinct things with them.Under things OBrien besotteds apparatuss and ammunition as well as terror, kip d suffer, individual(a)ized values and beliefs, moreover al almost(prenominal) everyone humped photographs (p. 4). This fib naturally depicts cozy state of the reference books during wartime and their living essentials such as vexation, kindness, pick out, and un legitimatety. These things atomic number 18 so important for them as ammunition during wartime, because they help the main heroes to overcome slack and difficulties they face with. It is important that a set of things has been changed, and at the end of the story the heroes carry a completely different things with them.As Kaplan characterizes war stories Almost all of the literature on the war, both fictional and nonfictional, makes clear that the scarce certain thing during the Vietnam War was that cipher was certain (Kaplan, 1993, p. 43). The main ch aracter of the rule book is Lieutenant Jim Cross, a man who falls in dear with a girl who does non return his feelings. Jim suffers greatly and can do postal code exactly dreaming about close relations with this girl. His negligence of duties be smell one of his soldiers, and after this terrible event, he puts an end to his sour dreams, and rethink most of his values and views.It was really difficult to him to change his worldview unless he was strong enough to cope with emotional file, and re- enlighten his things. The main intellection of the text is that wartime has a great impact on feelings and views of people. When one persons actions start out to affect a nonher person, we have moved from personal ethics to neighborly ethics and often have to place some limits on tender behavior (Bowen, Weigl, 1997). The story morality states that everyone is responsible for his own actions, and it is useless to whang everything on the people around you.Jim Cross is depicted as the person who is full of life experience, but still has not found the legality of life. The story The Things They Carried portrays that for some soldiers their burden is too heavy and they cannot carry it whatever longer. At the beginning of the story OBrien describes things they carry what they carry was part a function of rank, partly a field 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 allure on their out air.For instance, Jim Cross has burned all pictures of Martha and shifts his attention to duties. These burdens the supplies the workforce carried to brook physically alive ar placed on the comparable take aim in terms of description as the objects carried that provided emotional sustenance to the men of the platoon (Posek, 1997). The other main characters, Ted Lavender, Kiowa, Lee Strunk, and Henry Dobbins, are also carry their things which differ because they have di fferent life experiences and expectations. Nevertheless, war forces them to carry the same psychological things as scary and hope.They need to adapt to war, but the only way for them is to change their habits and personal values. around of them like Ted Lavenders conditioned to this reality using their own way, but fails. Subconscious feeling and mind-altering drugs have no effects. This causes lack of coincidence between war and personal feelings, since many of the characters struggling to develop their emotions while everyone else struggles to suppress their feelings. OBrien depicts that when fear starts to dominate, people usually act in their own interests, they lower as the keepers of customs and morality.It remains disappointing that the social issues that are mainly place as pertaining to deal with questions of individual(a) survival of the fittest, rather than of communal responsibility. Besides, material things the characters carry emotion burden Grief, terror, love, longing these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own can and specific gravity, they had tangible weight. (OBrien p. 6). The remarkable feature of OBriens style is very exact descriptions 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. (OBrien p. 4). little list of material things the soldiers carried helps OBrien to force a reader to learn a burden they carried. OBrien goes far beyond a simple description given a weight of each item the soldiers carries. The weapon weighed 7. 5 pounds unloaded, 8. 2 pounds with its full 20 round magazine. The riflemen carried anywhere 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, historical and war events which is manifested in his style of typography.OBrien depicts that a battlefield is the most terrible place he h as ever seen. In this collection of the short stories he portrays the futility of soldiers deaths and sufferings of men who are still alive, but know that death is around the corner. The message of his stories is that war is instinctless, war brings only grief and constant tension to be killed. In the story OBrien rings up questions concerning moral wellness of people, and in spite of all the negative life lessons soldiers understand what it is to be an individual.Throughout the story there is a definite blame unmoral behaviour of the people, but it is most poignantly and symbolically demonstrated with the rejection of previous life. OBrien shows that the inner state of soldiers has changed, and the readers cannot find a cynical man as most of them were before the war. On the other hand, war causes people to become 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 exten t, the moment of death 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 imperfection changing his personal views after Ted Lavenders death. When fear starts to dominate, people usually act in their own interests, they degrade as the keepers of customs and morality.It remains disappointing that the social issues that are generally identified as pertaining to deal with questions of individual choice, rather than of communal responsibility. The most important-looking and powerful is the last scene of the story, when after the death of Lavender Jim fire Marthas letters and photographs promising never have fantasies. The facts mentioned above locate the idea that only in difficult situations people show thei r real nature and values. Toughness stems not from insensitivity but from a severe persona code which functions as the characters mend defense against the overwhelming sanatorium of war.OBrien possesses a unique style of composition which appeals to readers mind and emotions. Writing of the occasion is filled with kernel and symbolism, hidden in plain sight to a lower place a seamless narrative style that breathes not a give-and-take of agenda, of dogma, or of personal belief. In this way, his writing contains knowledge 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 representation of the material is very affective.The twist of the piece is aimed to compel readers to think the problem over. Clear representation underlined the agents awareness of the issues under discussion. The vocabulary is mostly neutral. Style and choice of words crea te a sophisticated tone, but, as the most important, offhand 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 equality 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 prolonged descriptions in the short stories, but description of events and emotions ae very concise and brief. OBrien depicts that our ordered 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 invention and contend him to determine which, if any, of the stories are current (Calloway, 1995, p. 249).The repetition technique helps to shift logical stress and draws the readers attention to some key elements of the sentence structure, helping to cast authors message Thats what stories are for. Stories are for joining the past to the future. Stories are for those novel hours in the night 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 collection of his stories can be called a true war story as it describes casualties of life experienced by soldiers.OBrien states that war is Hell potraying in-depth and sensitive exploration of soldiers hearts and minds (Literary Encyclopedia. 2005). The author depicts that war is a dangerous and tremendous evil which change emotion 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 decease during war. At the end of the story things form a strict ethical code which functions as the charact ers sole defense against the overwhelming chaos of war.They set of things include the ideals of honor, courage and natural selection in a world that is sometimes chaotic and always painful. The story teaches that a mature person acts in accordance with his own ethical code maturation an approach to life that helps him get through the day. As OBrien writes By telling stories, you externalise your own experience. You separate 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 care 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 septette months in the bush I realized that those high, civilized t rappings had someways been crushed under the weight of the simple daily realities. Id turned mean inside (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. Evolution 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 someone?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 between 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, hesitation and deliberation. At the end, OBrien criticizes horrific and piteous 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 invoice of death. However, a war giving special significance to the uniqueness led to a particular concern about the common sense of reflecting the desire of individual to find relief from emotional pressure. For most of the soldiers a a sense of being in the army to be fully expressed and actual requires that the people enjoy the right to decide upon their destiny.Second, at a personal level, it obviously makes relationships with others possible, creating a world of meaning. War is a true excursion for men it helps to make choices, makes possible relationships with o thers, and gives strength and resilience. At the beginning of the story many characters were not prepared to rescue the life to save the life of others while at the end they became real soldiers ready to rescuer their life.Note Cards1. single 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 c arried the soldiers greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. work force 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. Fear 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 tried to survive (OBrien, p.11).Work Cited1. Bowen, K. , Weigl, B. Writing between the Lines An Anthology on War and Its Social Consequences, University of Massachusetts Press, 1997.2. Calloway, C. How to tell apart a True War Story Metafiction in the Things They Carried, Critique, Vol. 36, 1995, pp. 249-257.3. Kaplan, S. The Undying dubiety of the Narrator in Tim OBriens the Things They Carried. Critique, Vol. 35, 1993, pp. 43-52.4. OBrie n, 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 Necessity in Tim OBriens The Things They Carried Literature Seminar 180J, November 17, 1997.Available at http//www. nd. edu/frswrite/mcpartlin/1998/Posek. shtml Draft 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 carried anywhere from 12 to 20 magazines addin