Nazi Officer's Wife 'And O' Brien: An Analysis

Over the last 3,000 years, nations have been confronted with destruction, death, and poverty all at the hands of war. In this time frame as nations continue to perish, these disastrous effects have portrayed the role fear and separation has in the lives of citizens. Edith Hahn Beer in her memoir, The Nazi Officer's Wife and Tim O'Brien in his novel, The Things They Carried reveal this as both authors recount living during Nazi Europe and the Vietnam War. Through both experiences, Beer and O’Brien reveal the dominance fear has on the mindsets of citizens and the disconnect that is created between the citizen and his/her reality. Within both texts, Beer and O'Brien express the fear that occupies their minds. Especially Beer's fear of being caught and O'Brien's fear of the war. Beer displays her fear that continues to follow her when she returns back to Vienna. "If they find me, my friend who has hidden me so well will be sent to a concentration camp. I have to find someplace else to stay" (Beer 628). Beer wants to convey to her audience the effect fear has had on her once rational mindset. Through her frantic tone, Beer's audience is able to convey the same feeling of fear that has engulfed her mind. Likewise, O'Brien uncovers the fear that he and the soldiers acquire. "Together we understood what war was: you're not a human anymore. You're a shadow" (O'Brien 200). O'Brien's use of abstract diction discloses the fear that he and soldiers develop while at war. Since fear is the dominant emotion that …show more content…
Even with the victory and mutual relations that war creates, citizens continue to be challenged with the inevitable consequences of war. As Beer and O'Brien retell their encounters with war, both highlight the personal conflicts that arise in the midst of chaos. While under these circumstances, Beer and O'Brien link fear and the detachment from reality with citizens and his/her current