Social obligation is societal pressure which often changes the way a person may act. All people go through a time in their lives where they must decide based on the way society would want them to, rather than on what they believe. Written by Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carry portrays a situation in which social obligation roams through the mind of O’Brien. He is stuck in a position in which societal pressure inclines him to participate in a war in which he did not believe. While hiding out on the Canadian border, O’Brien must choose whether he will travel to Vietnam and become a soldier or flee the United States and never look back. Through moments like this, O’Brien shows how social obligation controls the decision-making process, forcing
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Talking to his father was difficult because all his father wanted to know about was the bravery which Bowker showed throughout the war. Originally, O’Brien published “Speaking of Courage” within a group of short fiction stories at Norman Bowker’s suggestion. He wrote Bowker’s name under a pseudonym at first. After it was published, Bowker wrote to O’Brien, telling him that he left out some important details to the story. Eight months later, Bowker resorted to taking his own life because he was not able to find a meaningful use for his life after the war. Consequently, O’Brien altered “Speaking of Courage” to adhere to Bowker’s requests. The largest change, however, came from eliminating the use of the pseudonym which was originally in place of Norman Bowker. O’Brien felt obligated to eliminate the pseudonym to honor Norman Bowker in “Speaking of Courage.” Moreover, O’Brien felt this story needed to be released to make people feel what it was like coming back from a war when mental disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) were not heard of yet. During these times, people with PTSD were not able to adequately express what occurred in the war; Norman Bowker was one of those people. Therefore, nobody spoke to him about the war because it was assumed he would be able …show more content…
Generally, wars which occur tend to move out of the public eye as quickly as possible. Very few people spoke of the war once it was done through because it is usually assumed that moving on is the best option. Veterans of the war were forced to move on with the rest of the public. They were expected to continue with their lives prior to the war, which caused a plethora of soldiers to experience what Norman Bowker did. The poem “Death of a Soldier,” portrays this entire situation. It reads, “The clouds go, nevertheless, In their direction” (Stevens 11-12). Being about the death of a soldier, the poem explains how everyone moves on from the war too soon because people believe society makes them do so. Few people take time to console those who recently returned from the war because they believe it is what society tells them to do. Rather than it be necessary to move on, Stevens states it is necessary to take time once a war is over and set it aside to spend it with those who need the
Talking to his father was difficult because all his father wanted to know about was the bravery which Bowker showed throughout the war. Originally, O’Brien published “Speaking of Courage” within a group of short fiction stories at Norman Bowker’s suggestion. He wrote Bowker’s name under a pseudonym at first. After it was published, Bowker wrote to O’Brien, telling him that he left out some important details to the story. Eight months later, Bowker resorted to taking his own life because he was not able to find a meaningful use for his life after the war. Consequently, O’Brien altered “Speaking of Courage” to adhere to Bowker’s requests. The largest change, however, came from eliminating the use of the pseudonym which was originally in place of Norman Bowker. O’Brien felt obligated to eliminate the pseudonym to honor Norman Bowker in “Speaking of Courage.” Moreover, O’Brien felt this story needed to be released to make people feel what it was like coming back from a war when mental disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) were not heard of yet. During these times, people with PTSD were not able to adequately express what occurred in the war; Norman Bowker was one of those people. Therefore, nobody spoke to him about the war because it was assumed he would be able …show more content…
Generally, wars which occur tend to move out of the public eye as quickly as possible. Very few people spoke of the war once it was done through because it is usually assumed that moving on is the best option. Veterans of the war were forced to move on with the rest of the public. They were expected to continue with their lives prior to the war, which caused a plethora of soldiers to experience what Norman Bowker did. The poem “Death of a Soldier,” portrays this entire situation. It reads, “The clouds go, nevertheless, In their direction” (Stevens 11-12). Being about the death of a soldier, the poem explains how everyone moves on from the war too soon because people believe society makes them do so. Few people take time to console those who recently returned from the war because they believe it is what society tells them to do. Rather than it be necessary to move on, Stevens states it is necessary to take time once a war is over and set it aside to spend it with those who need the