Kiowa

Death leaves a lasting impact on people all over the world. Death changes the way we value life and the death of a loved one affects the way we prevail as a person. In the novel, The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien the death of the narrator’s childhood sweetheart Linda leaves a lasting impact on his state of mind during the war; meanwhile the narrator struggles with the aspect of death and the ability to make light of it which stems from the death of Linda. Linda’s death illuminates the fact…

War had the effect of taking innocent young men and making them unstable. Even though Norman Bowker left the Vietnam War, the memories of the war did not leave him. For example, when Norman is unable to save his friend Kiowa, he writes to O’Brien and says, “’That night when Kiowa got wasted, I sort of sank down in the sewage with him…Feels like I’m still in deep shit’” (156). He could not escape the guilt of letting his friend die. In addition, Norman is unable to express his feelings through…

This bond that the soldiers formed helped them to survive, and helped the men of Alpha Company to cope with the war after they returned to the United States. "The bond that men form with each other in the heat of battle is incomprehensible to those who have not experienced warfare for themselves...You make close friends. You become part of a tribe and you share the same blood - you give it together, you take it together." (O'Brien, 192) This bond of friendship helps the men of Alpha…

In the Book How to Read Literature Like a Professor written by Thomas Foster, he establishes the theory that within occurrences in literature like season and disease, some patterns and symbols have deeper meanings when analyzed. The main message behind his writing is to encourage readers (especially young students) to grow their analytical skills as well as strengthen their interpretation of why events happen and the way they do In the chapter, “If She Comes Up, It’s Baptism,” Foster urges…

everything in their way, as they marched for several hours. Kiowa then explained how Ted had died. Cross in hearing this, with everything he had to hold back the tears he so much wanted to…

Carry the Shame Shame plays a very interesting role in the novel, The Things They Carried. Guilt and shame come together conjointly. Shame was used in many cases of the novel. It was a form of motivation to some cases. It was also a stimulation of choices that the soldiers made that were not the best choices. The choices were unwise and possibly led to regret. Every soldier carries a piece of shame. There are soldiers who may have carried more shame than the others. The amount of shame they…

Sometimes a mask is easier to put on when the alternative is to be a coward. Tim O'Brien, in his short story "The Things They Carried," pieces together what several soldiers experienced during the Vietnam war. Through the narrator, Tim O'Brien, the reader encounters his hatred of the war. In a passage within "The Things They Carried," O'Brien pursues the theme of masculinity by using simile, anaphora, and personification as figurative language, religious and moral symbolism, colloquial diction,…

War weighs very heavy on a person physically, mentally, and spiritually. Tim O’brien, the author of The Things They Carried uses items as well as experiences as symbols throughout the book. These symbols help carry the story, develop the characters, and help the reader find an emotional connection to the book. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his love letters from Martha are a good example. Even though the letters only weighed about four ounces they weighed heavy on Cross (O’Brien, 2-3). The letters…

In Obrien’s The Things They Carried, there were recurring ideas running throughout the text like the repetition of the word “carry.” He used this word to emphasize how the things they lugged with them everywhere weighed down on them tremendously, making their marches through foreign territory even more arduous; but surprisingly, the hardest things to “carry” were not physical, but the internal baggage they possessed like their many worries and emotions. The most common feelings among all of the…

not what he was writing about, but rather something that was present in the stories, like the war itself. I found many of the characters held important roles in each of the stories they appeared in, most of whom I could relate to, such as Kiowa. I felt that Kiowa was a very moral person in his appearances. He is always carrying a Bible, which is considered a moral guide, and many times he is shown as the moral helper to characters, such as when Tim O’Brien kills the vietnamese soldier. I also…