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Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

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The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a novel that describes the tragedies that occur during war and how it desensitizes humans. Throughout the book, O’Brien introduces a lot of ambiguity which relates to critic Roland Barthes saying, “Literature is the question minus the answer.” Leaving so many questions unanswered allows the reader to truly explore through as many possible answers as necessary in order to comprehend the meaning of the book. A major question that the novel raises is, “Does war desensitize humans?” As the novel progresses, characters experience major changes and there are scenes that depict the brutal and inhumane effects of war on people. Primarily, a major scene that provides an answer to the question

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