In the book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, O’Brien writes the experience of being a solider in Vietnam. The book is written as a novel and is narrated by the protagonist Tim O’Brien. Many of the stories about the war seem to be written about 20 years after the fact but the book also includes stories that happened before and after the character O’Brien’s experience in Vietnam. The book was first published in 1990. The big questions faced by many historians and political scientists who examine the stories from Vietnam include: Are the stories credible? How do we know what to believe and how do we know what is true? This paper will examine why O’Brien choose to write The Things They Carried as a novel and look at the stories to describe
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With many unanswered questions of the senselessness of war some soldiers struggled to reenter society. In the chapter “Speaking of Courage” O’Brien tells the story of Norman Bowker. When Bowker returns home he struggles to find someone to relate to and a way to transition back into society. The story shows how Americans didn’t want to talk about the war or be there to listen to the stories that were being built up inside. Bowker carries a huge burden over the death of Kiowa and feels he could have done more to save him. In the chapter “Notes” O’Brien further explores Bowker hard transition and his death. O’Brien writes that he disagreed with Bowkers opinion of himself and believes Bowker did everything in his power to try to save Kiowa and how O’Brien ultimately wrote “Speaking of Courage” at the request of Bowker. O’Brien begins to think that writing stores him writing was his way cope with what he has experienced after Bowker tells him he would write his own story but he couldn’t find the words. Three years after writing “Speaking of Courage” Bowker hung himself at the local YMCA. His mother said although he did try to find meaning for his life after the war he ultimately didn’t. He had enrolled in a 2-year college but ultimately dropped out. She feels that he had no one to cope with and it tool an emotion toll on
With many unanswered questions of the senselessness of war some soldiers struggled to reenter society. In the chapter “Speaking of Courage” O’Brien tells the story of Norman Bowker. When Bowker returns home he struggles to find someone to relate to and a way to transition back into society. The story shows how Americans didn’t want to talk about the war or be there to listen to the stories that were being built up inside. Bowker carries a huge burden over the death of Kiowa and feels he could have done more to save him. In the chapter “Notes” O’Brien further explores Bowker hard transition and his death. O’Brien writes that he disagreed with Bowkers opinion of himself and believes Bowker did everything in his power to try to save Kiowa and how O’Brien ultimately wrote “Speaking of Courage” at the request of Bowker. O’Brien begins to think that writing stores him writing was his way cope with what he has experienced after Bowker tells him he would write his own story but he couldn’t find the words. Three years after writing “Speaking of Courage” Bowker hung himself at the local YMCA. His mother said although he did try to find meaning for his life after the war he ultimately didn’t. He had enrolled in a 2-year college but ultimately dropped out. She feels that he had no one to cope with and it tool an emotion toll on