Things They Carried By Tim O Brien: Character Analysis

An instance where O’brien’s writing reflects the surreal nature of war is when he tells the story of Rat Kiley killing the baby water buffalo. In the seventh chapter titled “How To Tell a True War

Though the men reacted in violent ways in different situations, O’Brian’s violent act was something that stayed with him for the rest of his life and completely changed who he was as a person. “The Man I Killed” describes in detail the man and his life Tim O’Brien killed on a path in the jungle, even though he obviously did not know the man’s personal background, but mimicked it after his own. This description shows O’Brien’s life came to an end at his first act of violence, mirrored in the loss of the man’s life. After O’Brien’s incident on the pathway, he became cold and exemplified this new disposition after Jorgenson almost allowed O’Brien to die from a bullet wound, and in turn O’Brien needed pay back by scaring him in the middle of the night. The war may have physically killed many, but in this sense it damaged every soldier mentally.

Through The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien moves beyond the horror of fighting in the Vietnam War to examine with sensitivity and insight the nature of courage and fear. Included, is a collection of interrelated stories. A few of the stories are brutal, while others are flawed, blurring the distinction between fact and fiction. All the stories, however, deal with one platoon. Some are about the wartime experiences of soldiers, and others are about a 43-year-old writer reminiscing about his platoon’s experiences. In the beginning chapter, O’Brien rambles about the items the soldiers carry into battle, ranging from can openers, pocketknives, and mosquito repellent o

“His jaw was in his throat, his upper lip and teeth were gone, his one eye was shut, his other eye was a star-shaped hole...,” writes O’Brien as he studies the deceased enemy (118). Throughout the novel, the author shows consistency with repeating stories and lines in a way to present a greater image. He reminds the reader of details the elaborate his larger view. When he writes of the man he killed, he wants the reader to imagine themselves in his shoes, as he imagined himself in the enemies’. As he carefully studies the dead man, he imagines how the boy found himself in the war. By relating American society to the boy’s village of My Khe, he bridges similarities connecting the two by a culture that promotes defending one’s land and ways of life. By saying, “he would have been taught that to defend the land was a man’s highest duty and highest privilege,” he shows there is minimal difference between how most Americans view the military and the duty of the villagers in My Khe (119). Although he had not known the exact history of the boy, he attempted to illustrate in his own mind what his life may have been like prior to the invasion. The inability for O’Brien to walk away from the body as Kiowa continued to pry him away says he was troubled by the similarities. Despite Kiowa saying it could have been him lying lifeless on

War is often thought about as something that hardens a soldier. It makes a person stronger emotionally because they are taught not show it and deal with it internally. People say that death in war is easier to handle because it is for the right reasons and a person can distance themselves from the pain of losing someone. However, there is always a point when the pain becomes too real and it is hard to maintain that distance. In doing so, the story disputes the idea that witnessing a traumatic event causes a numbing or blockage of feelings. Rat Kiley’s progression of sentiment began with an initial concern for the buffalo, transforming into an irate killing of the animal, and then ending with an ultimate acceptance of death. These

At the same time, O’Brien struggles with destructiveness of the conflicting images of violence and peace in death through the juxtaposition of the imagery of the dead man. While “his one eye was shut, the other eye was a star-shaped hole.” The dead man has one shut eye that resembles a peaceful sleep, while the other side is obliterated by the grenade into a star-shaped hole. The image of the star-shaped hole in the dead soldier’s eye represents the hopes that he once had when he was alive: “He hoped the Americans would go away. Soon, he hoped. He kept hoping and hoping, always” (119). Furthermore, “his right cheek was smooth and hairless,” an image of untouched innocence that contrasts with his left cheek, which was “peeled back in three ragged strips,” destroyed by the violence O’Brien inflicts upon it. The juxtaposition of the butterfly that settles on his chin and the fatal wound on his neck, “open to the spinal cord…blood…thick and shiny” illustrate the complexity and ambiguity of the unnaturalness of war, depicted by the image of the dead man’s wrung neck, contrasted with the ironic peace and naturalism of death in the image of the fragile butterfly. These select images are also those that O’Brien chooses to fixate upon and develop throughout the chapter as he struggles to comprehend the moral implications of his actions. The innocence of the “slim, dead, almost dainty young man” is further reinforced when O’Brien describes his wrists as “wrists of a

Despite the fact that the German has let the rest of the soldiers escape unharmed, Robert’s innate violence triggers the death of an innocent soldier. Thus, Robert’s actions reveal the inherent savage nature of humankind.

At first, as Kiley interacts with the water buffalo, he seems friendly towards the animal, offering it food and petting it. His interaction with the animal soon changes however as he begins to physically assault and shoot the young water buffalo. In the passage, O’Brien describes that Kiley went “automatic”, (O’Brien 75) harming the buffalo in every possible way before breaking down. I believe that this situation shows a loss of innocence because under normal circumstances, a regular person would not have killed the animal for no reason. After the buffalo has died, Mitchell Saunders says, “‘Well that’s Nam. Garden of Evil. Over here, man, every sin’s real fresh and original” (O’Brien 75). This quote reflects Kiley’s loss of innocence because he is committing a sin that is horrific and unnecessary in nature all due to the death of a friend. It also shows that Kiley had no sense of control in this situation because hatred overcame him due to the death of Lemon. Scholar Rosalind Poppleton-Pritchard also believes that the slaying of the buffalo was done in part of Kiley’s personal agony.

One of the main characters in the short story “The Things They Carried”, written by Tim O’Brien, is a twenty-four year old Lieutenant named Jimmy Cross. Jimmy is the assigned leader of his infantry unit in the Vietnam War, but does not assume his role accordingly. Instead, he’s constantly daydreaming, along with obsessing, over his letters and gifts from Martha. Martha is a student at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey, Jimmy’s home state. He believes that he is in love with Martha, although she shows no signs of loving him. This obsession is a fantasy that he uses to escape from reality, as well as, take his mind off of the war that surrounds him, in Vietnam. The rest of the men in his squad have items that they carry too, as a way

In this chapter, O’Brien revisits his friend, Kiowa, location of death. Ever since 20 years ago when Kiowa died O’Brien and his commander, Lt. Jimmy Cross, believed they were at fault. Tim had been asking himself to advise Lt. Cross to move to higher ground. All O’Brien wanted was some closure, “Now, looking out to the field, I wondered if it all was a mistake. Everything was too ordinary. A quiet sunny day, and the field was not a field I remembered...” (O’Brien 176). Tim O’Brien desperately wanted to make amends for Kiowa’s death whether it was or wasn’t his fault. O’Brien did this by taking a bath in the dirty river, while releasing Kiowa’s moccasins in the process; as a form a closure.

In these chapters O’Brien goes back to Vietnam, to the site of Kiowa’s death. O’Brien is trying to forgive himself as he is still grieving. While O’Brien is reliving his years past he realizes that: “Somehow I blamed this place for what I had become” (177). O’Brien feels guilty for blaming this place for changing him. O’Brien’s search for forgiveness is obvious throughout the chapters, yet his guilt is very overpowering.

After entering a village where the VC had already struck, the author uses the platoon’s reactions to enforce the gruesome setting of the novel. Also, the author uses an indirect characterization of Perry’s character to strengthen the theme loss of innocence. By encountering large amounts of death and wastes of human life, Perry’s innocence quickly dwindles and causes a negative emotional

In The Things They Carried, minor characters play major roles in developing the plot and theme of the novel. The three minor characters that stand out are Elroy, Marry Anne Bell, and Kathleen. These characters may not be shown routinely in the novel, but the effect that they have on the environment and characters in the story are powerful. Having these minor characters interact with the major ones further develop the theme that Tim O’Brien is aiming for in this novel.

George Carlin, during the early 80’s, had a routine that was a witticism on the importance of having "personal effects". These “personal effects” or items that a person accumulates through life symbolize their identity. The impractical things carried in pockets, purses, bags and suitcases that make people feel "as themselves" while in strange surroundings. These things are so essential to identify the person these “personal effects” represents. If asked how to identify someone it would take on a completely different meaning. Name, social security number and birth dates are the items mostly associated with someone’s Identity. This phenomenon can be oppressed by the replacement of possessions by removing the things that make a person feel complete and replacing them with items that represent a new identity. Tim O’Brien’s story entitled “The Things We Carried” illustrates how people carry objects that represent their identity. Some objects are tangible like weapons and items for personal protections and other are intangible like fear and guilt. No matter how or what these objects are they hold the key to one’s identity. This story gives us an introspect of an unfamiliar person’s identity is through physical characteristic, mannerisms, or the objects that used for personal reassurance.

While externally the soldiers had to deal with the act of actually shooting the prisoners (more simply killing a man), internally Bonaparte and Noble dealt with the internal conflict of having to kill a friend. As Hawkins pleaded the case of friends shooting friends, we were forced as readers to also question the call of duty to a cause versus the call of