Postmodernism In The Things They Carried

    Postmodernism is a form of literature which is marked both stylistically and ideologically, by a reliance on such literary conventions as unreliable narrators , parody, unrealistic plots, dark humor and authorial self-reference.  A Girl’s Story written by David Arnason is a perfect example of postmodernism because David tends to ignore the traditional limitation of structure. He uses the power of his mind to develop his story (A Girl’s Story). David uses the cultures and classes to create a limitation free story that anyone can enjoy and understand.

The first three words of the chapter “How to Tell a True War Story” are, “This is true” (67). Although Tim O’Brien begins this chapter with such a bold and clear statement, throughout the chapter he has the reader thinking and confused when he contradicts himself by stating things such as, “In many cases a true war story cannot

O'Brien's reason for writing the novel is to tell a true war story with the story-truth, instead of the happening-truth. The happening truth isn't important because the emotions of the soldiers is what matters, which the story-truth captures. In "Good From," the story-truth gives in detail of the man O'Brien killed, but in the happening-truth O'Brien didn't kill anybody and is left with "faceless responsibility and faceless grief." (page 172) It shows why the happening-truth doesn't matter because it doesn't convey the guilt O'Brien felt over death in the war, while the story-truth does. "I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth" (page 171)

1. According to O'Brien, how do you tell a true war story? What does he mean when he says that true war stories are never about war? In what sense is a “true” war story actually true? That is, in O’Brien’s terms, what is the relationship between historical truth and fictional truth?

Telling a war story will be changed for everyone depending on their experience and the different wars they been to. In The Thing They Carried telling a true war story is different because O’Brien says that it needs to be a heroic and noble and very specific “In any war story, but especially a true one, it’s difficult to separate what happened from what seems to happen. What seems to happen becomes its own happening and has to be told that way. The angles of vision are skewed” (pg.67-68) it shows how O’Brien wants to impress the audience with his stories that makes one wonder if it is real or not. He wants to sound heroic which makes part of the purpose of the story, his side

However, as the reader is to realize soon, by having his fictional characters tell stories and then recant the truth of those stories, O’Brien certainly calls into question the possibility of ever telling a true war story. The result of

Writing provides authors a platform to create their own reality. Critically acclaimed author, Tim O’Brien supports this notion through his novel The Things They Carried in which he blurs the line between truth and fiction to depict its necessity when storytelling about experiences at war. O’Brien specifically includes the chapter “Ambush” with the purpose of expressing the abrupt flood of emotions soldiers experience in war through the personal story of him killing someone at war. He adopts a compelling tone throughout, through the use of rhetorical strategies juxtaposition, diction, and imagery in order to convey how a clout of one’s innocence can lead to them engaging in regrettable actions, influenced by the violence of war.

The postmodern quality is Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” is feelings of anxiety, confusion, and uncertainty. The narrator says, “Some things about living still weren’t quite right, though.” (Vonnegut 459) This quotation shows that even in a society where everybody is made out to be equal; something is still off and confusing for the people. Another quote from “Harrison Bergeron” that represents

Post Modernism in The Things They Carried Links: http://www.shmoop.com/things-they-carried/norman-bowker.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodern_literaturi In the chapter Speaking of Courage, part of the novel The Things They Carried, the author Tim O'Brien uses intertextuality to emphasize the presence of postmodernism throughout the novel. The chapter starts out with Norman Bowker, a veteran of the Vietnam War, cruising around in his automobile thinking back about the good old times and continues on with Bowker attempting to find people who he could speak about courage. His valor, if only had stretched more, would have meant the Silver Star.

Postmodernism is a middle-to-late twentieth-century movement that is often exceptionally difficult to define and categorize. Beginning sometime after World War II and continuing into the present, postmodernism is often categorized as a revolt to modernism. The authors focus their writing on many characteristics such as there is no reality, meaning that all observations are assembled by outside forces and that all insights are potentially incorrect. Postmodernism has grown into what it is because of the technological growth of America as well. It responds to those changes and incorporates these ideas into the writing. Postmodernism also seeks to reanalyze society and history. Instead of just going with writing the way it has been forever, the writing seeks to question anything and everything. Then, just when the answer is there, postmodernism questions that as well. There are many themes and styles associated with postmodern writing. Fragmentation, irony, pastiche, metafiction, and unreliable narrator are some of these themes and styles. Fred Chappell, author of I Am One of You Forever, focuses on the theme of the unreliable narrator to tell a tale about Jess, a young boy from Eastern North Carolina, and his recollection of thoughts.

It's hard to locate it in History, because it's not clear exactly when postmodernism began. It is characterised by a pastiche of cultural styles and elements, but implies a deeper skepticism about order and progress. The term was first used in Architecture to describe the reaction against the Post war concrete tower blocks. More recently Postmodernism has become influential in areas of study such as politics, economics and sociology. Postmodernists say that there are many meanings to any social or cultural aspect of life and that there isn't any aspect of life where there's one single, objective truth or reality that absolutely everyone experiences.

The aspects of postmodernism

Post Modernism is a theory rejecting theories. Post Modernists believe that truth is constructive. There is no absolute truth to literature. Post Modern Literature defies definition and solely one true meaning. It was a reaction to Modernism and challenged the traditional ideologies. Post Modernism allows people to form their logic and conclusions based upon their thinking on any literature. According to Angel Daniel Matos, “postmodernism can be approached as an attitude that is reactionary, especially towards the ideas and ideals perpetuated in the modernist movement.” Matos points out how Post Modernism is an ideology based on no truths being absolute. Not only does Post Modernism take a different view on the main theme of a story but it also alters the style of writing for the piece. For Example, McCarthy wrote, “The deputy left Chigurh standing in the corner of the office with his hands cuffed behind while he sat in the swivelchair and took off his hat and put his feet up and called Lamar on the mobile” (256). Run on sentences are grammatically incorrect. However, McCarthy uses it to his advance to enrich the story. McCarthy bent the common grammar rules to enhance the theme and mood of the story. Not only did McCarthy use run-on sentences but he implemented slang words throughout the novel. The usage of slang language in the novel improved the mood and tone because the novel’s setting was in Texas. Moss states “What? Quit hollerin’” (McCarthy 29). The word “hollerin” is a great way of setting the tone and enforcing Post Modernistic writing styles.

It is a reaction to the concept of modernism; a style or movement in the arts that aims to depart significantly from classical and traditional forms in the early 20th century. Postmodern lacks a precise definition, but share many aspects of modernism. They are fueled by post-industrialization, and driven by late capitalism. However, there are a few distinctions that make it quite deliberate from its predecessor. According to Fredric Jameson 's theory, the experience of an art is mediated by technology and/or capitalism so we no longer experience things as natural (Jameson 64).” In other words there are effects that create this erosion of high culture and low culture. In addition of devaluing historical contexts, while lacking an ideology because the focus on a surface image of the art. Furthermore, it refocuses on the individual rather than the singular subject. The basic concept of postmodernism is the refusal to think historically, and disdain for the thought of underlying reality as actuality. Overall postmodernism is broad, but very retrospective in terms of content, form and style within cinema. It is all about recycling materials in order to reproduce for the interest of the individual being rather than a singularity subject.

It is hard, to describe postmodernism exactly in few sentences, since it is constant to develop. Instead, it might be significant to concentrate on what it claims to evade the modernist project. Postmodernism was at first a response to "modernism", which is recognized with rationality, linearity, and "purification" (Featherstone 1991). Mostly it influenced the disenchantment persuaded by the Second World War, postmodernism inclined to refer to a cultural, intellectual, or artistic status deficient on a patent central hierarchy, linearity or systematize principle and representing great complexity, opposition, vagueness, diversity, and interconnectedness.