The main characters in Tim O’Brien’s’ Enemies Friends, turn hatred into the definition of friendship by unmasking war-infected minds during Vietnam.
Between the ages of two and three, people are rewarded for doing right; however, punished for doing wrong. Yet, when thrown into a war, where innocence is lost, what truly is right. The narrator states ‘A missing jackknife’ (59), is what caused this fight. As the jackknife is not something most would hover over as if it’s a diamond. He held the insignificant item so close, as his life can change in a matter of seconds. Dave Jensen is willing to make Lee Strunk pay for something he held so dear. ‘He hit him hard. And he didn’t stop’ (59), O’Brien states as Jensen is a victim of war, he has become …show more content…
Therefore, soldiers must come put differences aside, and learn to trust one another. O’Brien states, on page 62, that ‘Jenson and Strunk did not become the best of friends, but did trust each other,’ which may have been deemed impossible after their brawl. However, they eventually became inseparable, teaming up on almost every task they could. Jensen is there for Strunk when his leg was blown off at the knee. When “Strunk frowned up at the sky” (63), he saw his end. He knew that this bond that he created was soon to be over. He even told Jensen “Don’t kill me” (63), joking around. However, as the words escape Strunk’s mouth it becomes quit ironic, as Jensen almost killed him, and how Jensen was afraid of Strunk killing him. The narrator states that Strunk made Jensen promise “Swear it to me—swear you won’t kill me,” and being a great friend he swore in. Life had to go on for Jensen, now that his ‘friend’ left, and when he found out that Strunk died, O’Brien states that it “relieved Dave Jensen of an enormous weight” (63). Now Jensen could be at peace within, which is not the feeling one gets when a close friend dies. While death seems to be a sad event, as a precious soul travels to the great beyond. Although, it may be a case in which death is a relief, which is the case for Dave Jensen, as he finds out the Lee Strunk is dead. After, Jensen breaks his nose and the two set aside their differences, the author creates the allusion that everything is dandy between them. Yet, Jensen is relieved when his friend dies. This unmasks, the mind that is infected with war in Vietnam. While, Jensen has this ongoing facade to make the reader think otherwise. In the back, of Jensen’s mind, something told him that Strunk would acquire his revenge, for his broken nose. The author does a great job, by creating one line, that has a much deeper meaning, that the reader must conclude with
Between the ages of two and three, people are rewarded for doing right; however, punished for doing wrong. Yet, when thrown into a war, where innocence is lost, what truly is right. The narrator states ‘A missing jackknife’ (59), is what caused this fight. As the jackknife is not something most would hover over as if it’s a diamond. He held the insignificant item so close, as his life can change in a matter of seconds. Dave Jensen is willing to make Lee Strunk pay for something he held so dear. ‘He hit him hard. And he didn’t stop’ (59), O’Brien states as Jensen is a victim of war, he has become …show more content…
Therefore, soldiers must come put differences aside, and learn to trust one another. O’Brien states, on page 62, that ‘Jenson and Strunk did not become the best of friends, but did trust each other,’ which may have been deemed impossible after their brawl. However, they eventually became inseparable, teaming up on almost every task they could. Jensen is there for Strunk when his leg was blown off at the knee. When “Strunk frowned up at the sky” (63), he saw his end. He knew that this bond that he created was soon to be over. He even told Jensen “Don’t kill me” (63), joking around. However, as the words escape Strunk’s mouth it becomes quit ironic, as Jensen almost killed him, and how Jensen was afraid of Strunk killing him. The narrator states that Strunk made Jensen promise “Swear it to me—swear you won’t kill me,” and being a great friend he swore in. Life had to go on for Jensen, now that his ‘friend’ left, and when he found out that Strunk died, O’Brien states that it “relieved Dave Jensen of an enormous weight” (63). Now Jensen could be at peace within, which is not the feeling one gets when a close friend dies. While death seems to be a sad event, as a precious soul travels to the great beyond. Although, it may be a case in which death is a relief, which is the case for Dave Jensen, as he finds out the Lee Strunk is dead. After, Jensen breaks his nose and the two set aside their differences, the author creates the allusion that everything is dandy between them. Yet, Jensen is relieved when his friend dies. This unmasks, the mind that is infected with war in Vietnam. While, Jensen has this ongoing facade to make the reader think otherwise. In the back, of Jensen’s mind, something told him that Strunk would acquire his revenge, for his broken nose. The author does a great job, by creating one line, that has a much deeper meaning, that the reader must conclude with