The Vietnam War was part of the Cold War and the Indochina Wars which were fought to prevent the spread of communism. The Vietnam War is the only war that the United States of America entirely lost helping lead it to be the most controversial war whereupon return the soldiers were still the enemy. Tim O’Brien was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War and upon return wrote “The Things They Carried”. O’Brien implements the use of sensory imagery and choice of speaker to reflect the reality of war hidden behind the delusion of honor. One of O'Brien's most influential literary techniques in "The Things They Carried" was the use of sensory imagery. Sensory imagery creates a visual picture that affects one of the five senses. Sensory
…show more content…
The choice of speaker is the character or omniscient figure through which the reader experiences the story. The choice of the speaker allows the reader to experiences the Vietnam War as a soldier. The shoes the reader gets to step into are Jimmy Cross's. Cross is not an enlisted man but a First Lieutenant and platoon leader. Since he is in charge, he carries the extra responsibility and burden of planning and leading. First Lieutenant Cross’s job could be lonely at times since his main obligation "was not to be loved but to lead.”(119) Civilians think of the camaraderie and honor between soldiers but do not think about the rank structure and the resentment between enlisted and officer ranks. Lieutenant Cross also takes the blame for any screw ups and deaths. Death is commonplace in war, and Lavender was no exception. Measures could have been taken to help prevent Lavenders death, but it might not have helped. Even so, the burden of Lavender's death rests on the conscience of First Lieutenant Cross. "Lieutenant Cross felt the pain. He blamed himself.”(110) Civilians believe being an officer is better since as officer has more respect and glory. They do not realize that the flip side is that officers also carry the guilt and blame of mistakes made. After the death of Lavender, First Lieutenant Cross had to stay strong in front of his men …show more content…
As a Vietnam veteran, he wanted to show a more accurate picture of war for people wanting to enlist. The short story shows civilians, using sensory imagery and choice of speaker, that war has many challenges and difficulties for both officers and enlisted
The choice of speaker is the character or omniscient figure through which the reader experiences the story. The choice of the speaker allows the reader to experiences the Vietnam War as a soldier. The shoes the reader gets to step into are Jimmy Cross's. Cross is not an enlisted man but a First Lieutenant and platoon leader. Since he is in charge, he carries the extra responsibility and burden of planning and leading. First Lieutenant Cross’s job could be lonely at times since his main obligation "was not to be loved but to lead.”(119) Civilians think of the camaraderie and honor between soldiers but do not think about the rank structure and the resentment between enlisted and officer ranks. Lieutenant Cross also takes the blame for any screw ups and deaths. Death is commonplace in war, and Lavender was no exception. Measures could have been taken to help prevent Lavenders death, but it might not have helped. Even so, the burden of Lavender's death rests on the conscience of First Lieutenant Cross. "Lieutenant Cross felt the pain. He blamed himself.”(110) Civilians believe being an officer is better since as officer has more respect and glory. They do not realize that the flip side is that officers also carry the guilt and blame of mistakes made. After the death of Lavender, First Lieutenant Cross had to stay strong in front of his men …show more content…
As a Vietnam veteran, he wanted to show a more accurate picture of war for people wanting to enlist. The short story shows civilians, using sensory imagery and choice of speaker, that war has many challenges and difficulties for both officers and enlisted