The final chapter, The Lives of the Dead, depicts how difficult it is for a person to go through war and witness multiple deaths. The affects that these events can have on a person’s life is difficult to understand, but this chapter lays the situation out clearly for the reader.
This chapter begins with the words “…stories can save us,” which explains the overall reason that O’Brien wrote this novel: to cope. O’Brien is coping with his emotional baggage by writing stories about the man he killed, people he witnessed get killed, and someone he loved that died, because these people changed his life, both for the better and for the worse. Even though all of the people he writes about are dead, in a story the dead can “smile” and even “return to the world” so O’Brien can remember these people how he wants too, not how they appeared to him when they were dead.
As mentioned before, O’Brien writes about many different deaths that he witnessed, not only in Vietnam, but also back at home. The story that stuck out most to me was about O’Brien and his childhood sweetheart, Linda. Linda and “Timmy” were in the fourth grade when he realized he loved her. Not just “infatuation” but real, “I wanted to melt into her bones” love. Linda had “dark brown eyes,” a “slender” frame, and a “quiet” personality. On the couples’ first date, with Tim’s parents’, Linda wore a “red cap” that was too long and went way down her back. The cap symbolizes the covering of not only the head, but also the covering up of a bigger issue, which the reader finds out later in the chapter.
After their date, Linda wore her red hat to school every day. Of course, like most kids, people at school are talking and making fun of her for wearing the hat. One day during a test, a kid walked by Linda and pulled off her hat. When the hat was removed, the entire class, including Tim, saw the unexpected: a mostly bald head covered with stitches and scars. The imagery O’Brien uses to describe Linda’s head helps the reader to understand that this young girl is sick. When her hat was pulled off, Linda simply sat still and didn’t say a word or make a sound. Soon after this incident, Linda was not able to overcome the impediment of a brain tumor, and died at the age of nine.
So, what was the significance of putting Linda into this chapter? I find that the story about Linda sets up how O’Brien would handle other deaths throughout his lifetime. Having a “girlfriend” die at such a young age can really shake someone up emotionally. The way O’Brien copes with losing someone he loved after the death of Linda is similar to the way he handles the effects of the war. After Linda dies, O’Brien goes home to be alone. He shelters himself from the outside world so he can simply dwell on what has happened. O’Brien seems to handle his life after the war the same way. He shelters himself from other people so he doesn’t have to speak of what he saw and experienced. The only way to free himself of his emotional baggage is to tell stories, so he writes.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Week 4, The Things They Carried
In the chapter Speaking of Courage, the reader takes a look into the life of Norman Bowker, post-war. At the beginning of this chapter, Norman is driving around the lake in his hometown passing by houses that are “handsome, well kept, and brightly painted,” but also houses that are “less expensive” and not as extravagant. The houses that Norman sees around the lake show the dichotomy between his lives: one at the war compared to his real life back at home.
The reader is introduced to Norman Bowker on the 4th of July, which is ironic. The 4th of July is celebrated by the American people for the freedoms that they have been given by the soldiers fighting in wars. This situation presents irony because here are people that are celebrating their freedom, which was in part given to them by Norman, and Norman couldn’t find a place of belonging, or a reason to celebrate this holiday.
Throughout the entire chapter, Norman Bowker continues to drive aimlessly around the lake, with no intentions of going home. The continual driving of Norman shows how he is trying to find his place in this world. Norman is still stuck in war mode, and doesn’t know where he really belongs back at home. His uncertainty of belonging is shown by him going to the “A&W,” “watching four ladies laboring,” passing “two boys walking” and by driving twelve times around a seven mile lake. Norman Bowker continues to pass by people and places, hoping that he will find his place in this world, but he unfortunately doesn’t find it.
Norman, while driving around the lake, is role playing what he and his father would be talking about if he was at his house right now. He explains to his dad the seven awards he did win, and then he tries to tell him why he didn’t win the Silver Star. The reason that Norman didn’t receive the Silver Star is because he let one of his platoon members die in a “shit field” because he was not able to pull him out of it. While Norman is describing to his father what this situation was like, he mentions that there was a “constant rain” that fell throughout the whole time he was trying to save Kiowa. Rain usually symbolizes purification, but in this situation, the rain shows the sadness, and covers the tears, of Norman. In most situations, rain helps to give a new life to all who encounter it, but ironically, this rain is the cause of death for Kiowa, because the mud pulls him under.
This chapter showed how difficult it is for a soldier to return home after the war. Their minds are nebulous to what is happening in the present, because they are overwhelmed with what they witnessed and experienced in Vietnam. Upon returning home, it is difficult to find a place to fit in, as we see with Norman, who eventually commits suicide. So knowing how difficult it is for these men to return home from war, why don’t we reach out and comfort them in order to help them cope with all they have been through?
The reader is introduced to Norman Bowker on the 4th of July, which is ironic. The 4th of July is celebrated by the American people for the freedoms that they have been given by the soldiers fighting in wars. This situation presents irony because here are people that are celebrating their freedom, which was in part given to them by Norman, and Norman couldn’t find a place of belonging, or a reason to celebrate this holiday.
Throughout the entire chapter, Norman Bowker continues to drive aimlessly around the lake, with no intentions of going home. The continual driving of Norman shows how he is trying to find his place in this world. Norman is still stuck in war mode, and doesn’t know where he really belongs back at home. His uncertainty of belonging is shown by him going to the “A&W,” “watching four ladies laboring,” passing “two boys walking” and by driving twelve times around a seven mile lake. Norman Bowker continues to pass by people and places, hoping that he will find his place in this world, but he unfortunately doesn’t find it.
Norman, while driving around the lake, is role playing what he and his father would be talking about if he was at his house right now. He explains to his dad the seven awards he did win, and then he tries to tell him why he didn’t win the Silver Star. The reason that Norman didn’t receive the Silver Star is because he let one of his platoon members die in a “shit field” because he was not able to pull him out of it. While Norman is describing to his father what this situation was like, he mentions that there was a “constant rain” that fell throughout the whole time he was trying to save Kiowa. Rain usually symbolizes purification, but in this situation, the rain shows the sadness, and covers the tears, of Norman. In most situations, rain helps to give a new life to all who encounter it, but ironically, this rain is the cause of death for Kiowa, because the mud pulls him under.
This chapter showed how difficult it is for a soldier to return home after the war. Their minds are nebulous to what is happening in the present, because they are overwhelmed with what they witnessed and experienced in Vietnam. Upon returning home, it is difficult to find a place to fit in, as we see with Norman, who eventually commits suicide. So knowing how difficult it is for these men to return home from war, why don’t we reach out and comfort them in order to help them cope with all they have been through?
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Week 3, The Things They Carried
Within the contents of The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, the use of symbolism and imagery are prominent features. The use of symbolism and imagery help the reader fully delve into the messages that O’Brien wants to get across. There was one part in this week’s reading that stuck in my mind because of the admirable use of imagery and symbols.
In the chapter The Man I Killed, Tim O’Brien paints the picture of death for the reader. He describes the man he killed as the dead man is lying there. The man is lacking his upper lip and teeth, one eye is shut and “the other eye was a star-shaped hole,” his nose was undamaged, his fingernails were clean, the skin on his cheek was torn into three raged pieces, and there was a butterfly on his chin. The vivid descriptions that O’Brien uses draw the reader right into the scene of the story helping them to fully relive the situation the O’Brien had to endure.
Although the diction that O’Brien chose to use in this part of the novel is phenomenal, I find that the symbolic meanings beneath the surface description of the man he killed is even better. The first description that shows symbolism is “his upper lip and teeth were gone” which tells the reader that this man’s death was more violent than the average person’s. With “one eye shut” and “the other eye was a star-shaped hole” demonstrates to the reader the different parts of his life, because stars symbolize earth, air, fire, water and spirit. The star shows that he has experienced many trials in his lifetime and overcome all of them, except for this one. Although the rest of his body was dismantled, “his fingernails were clean” and in perfect, ordinary condition. The cleanliness of the underneath of this man’s fingernails indicates the cleanliness of his life, beneath his surface façade. No matter what a person appears to be on the outside, it is what is beneath the surface that is relevant to whom they truly are. The skin on his face “was peeled back into three raged pieces” which also shows how violent his death had to have been. Along with the symbol of violence, being split into three pieces represents the trinity of the father, son, and Holy Ghost. The use of a religious statement within this scene shows that the man he killed was a Christian who lived out his life faithfully to God. The last symbolic item in this part of the novel I want to discuss is the butterfly on the man’s chin. Butterflies represent a new life because they transform from a caterpillar into a butterfly. The butterfly on his chin shows the reader that this man has transferred from his old life into a new, eternal life. Towards the end of the chapter, “the butterfly was gone” and the bleeding of all of his wounds had stopped. The flight of the butterfly is symbolic of the man’s soul being freed from his body and flying into his afterlife.
As one can see, everything that an author puts into their novel is there for a reason that is usually symbolic of something. So, next time you read a book really think to yourself, “Just why is this a part of the novel?”
In the chapter The Man I Killed, Tim O’Brien paints the picture of death for the reader. He describes the man he killed as the dead man is lying there. The man is lacking his upper lip and teeth, one eye is shut and “the other eye was a star-shaped hole,” his nose was undamaged, his fingernails were clean, the skin on his cheek was torn into three raged pieces, and there was a butterfly on his chin. The vivid descriptions that O’Brien uses draw the reader right into the scene of the story helping them to fully relive the situation the O’Brien had to endure.
Although the diction that O’Brien chose to use in this part of the novel is phenomenal, I find that the symbolic meanings beneath the surface description of the man he killed is even better. The first description that shows symbolism is “his upper lip and teeth were gone” which tells the reader that this man’s death was more violent than the average person’s. With “one eye shut” and “the other eye was a star-shaped hole” demonstrates to the reader the different parts of his life, because stars symbolize earth, air, fire, water and spirit. The star shows that he has experienced many trials in his lifetime and overcome all of them, except for this one. Although the rest of his body was dismantled, “his fingernails were clean” and in perfect, ordinary condition. The cleanliness of the underneath of this man’s fingernails indicates the cleanliness of his life, beneath his surface façade. No matter what a person appears to be on the outside, it is what is beneath the surface that is relevant to whom they truly are. The skin on his face “was peeled back into three raged pieces” which also shows how violent his death had to have been. Along with the symbol of violence, being split into three pieces represents the trinity of the father, son, and Holy Ghost. The use of a religious statement within this scene shows that the man he killed was a Christian who lived out his life faithfully to God. The last symbolic item in this part of the novel I want to discuss is the butterfly on the man’s chin. Butterflies represent a new life because they transform from a caterpillar into a butterfly. The butterfly on his chin shows the reader that this man has transferred from his old life into a new, eternal life. Towards the end of the chapter, “the butterfly was gone” and the bleeding of all of his wounds had stopped. The flight of the butterfly is symbolic of the man’s soul being freed from his body and flying into his afterlife.
As one can see, everything that an author puts into their novel is there for a reason that is usually symbolic of something. So, next time you read a book really think to yourself, “Just why is this a part of the novel?”
Monday, November 8, 2010
The Things They Carried, Chapters 6-10
How do we know that when a person tells a story, that they are telling the truth? Sometimes, it’s instinct, and sometimes we just take their word for their credibility. Never, though, are we 100% certain that everything that they say is factual.
In the next few chapters of The Things They Carried, O’Brien brings to the attention of the readers that “a true war story is never moral” and is never completely factual. Emotions get wrapped up in the story tellers mind and they seem to confuse “what happened from what seemed to happen.” Throughout these chapters, O’Brien recites numerous war stories, but it is left up to the discretion of the reader to interpret whether the story is factual of not.
One story that was rehashed in these chapters was how Mark Fossie flew his girlfriend Mary Anne, “fresh out of Cleveland Heights Senior High” to Vietnam to stay with him for a few weeks. Although she was young, Mary Anne quickly grew accustomed to the lifestyles that these men lived. Mary Anne was “no timid child” and “curious about things.” She did everything the men did, and wanted to learn all she could about the Vietnamese way of life, and the jobs that the soldiers had over there. While on duty with her boyfriend, Mary Anne learned how to “disassemble an M-16” and “how to cook rice over a can of Sterno and eat with her hands.” Soon enough, Mary is sent back home, but soon returns without telling Mark, and she is residing with the greenies. One night, Mark finds her, and she is wearing a necklace of human tongues that look like “blackened leather.” The imagery of the “blackened leather” compared to “curious about things” shows how war changes people. Being exposed to war transformed Mary Anne into being a malicious human who doesn’t care about others feeling. O’Brien uses this story to show just how drastic war can be on the human mind, and the kind of transformations that can take place emotionally in people.
Either fact or fiction, the stories told by soldiers who have been affected by the war, put into perspective the tremendous changes that take place in soldiers lives, both lives physically and emotionally. These stories help the readers have a better understanding of just what it was like to fight in a war, and help us to sympathize more deeply with war veterans.
In the next few chapters of The Things They Carried, O’Brien brings to the attention of the readers that “a true war story is never moral” and is never completely factual. Emotions get wrapped up in the story tellers mind and they seem to confuse “what happened from what seemed to happen.” Throughout these chapters, O’Brien recites numerous war stories, but it is left up to the discretion of the reader to interpret whether the story is factual of not.
One story that was rehashed in these chapters was how Mark Fossie flew his girlfriend Mary Anne, “fresh out of Cleveland Heights Senior High” to Vietnam to stay with him for a few weeks. Although she was young, Mary Anne quickly grew accustomed to the lifestyles that these men lived. Mary Anne was “no timid child” and “curious about things.” She did everything the men did, and wanted to learn all she could about the Vietnamese way of life, and the jobs that the soldiers had over there. While on duty with her boyfriend, Mary Anne learned how to “disassemble an M-16” and “how to cook rice over a can of Sterno and eat with her hands.” Soon enough, Mary is sent back home, but soon returns without telling Mark, and she is residing with the greenies. One night, Mark finds her, and she is wearing a necklace of human tongues that look like “blackened leather.” The imagery of the “blackened leather” compared to “curious about things” shows how war changes people. Being exposed to war transformed Mary Anne into being a malicious human who doesn’t care about others feeling. O’Brien uses this story to show just how drastic war can be on the human mind, and the kind of transformations that can take place emotionally in people.
Either fact or fiction, the stories told by soldiers who have been affected by the war, put into perspective the tremendous changes that take place in soldiers lives, both lives physically and emotionally. These stories help the readers have a better understanding of just what it was like to fight in a war, and help us to sympathize more deeply with war veterans.
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