Tim OBriens The Things They Carried Essay - 1328 Words

When Americans are involved, there is no lack on interpretations of war; stating their opinions about politics or military is not something they are afraid of doing. Whichever way a person wants to perceive the war is entirely up to them, but the viewpoints of the soldiers’ who are fighting in said war, show perspectives that are often entirely opposite of the views of those Americans. Tim O’Brien’s The Thing They Carried offers insight on the Vietnam War as told by soldiers during that time. O’Brien blurs distinction of what the truth is and what is false when it involves the storytelling of war and how everyone else perceives it; the connection of the ‘normal’ Americans, or the average American opinion on war, versus the soldiers seems†¦show more content†¦There are people who believe war must happen to make a great change to better a country. People believe that the soldiers are brave and that they are doing heroic acts, the war wi ll save them from the unrest within their own country, and that additional territory will be granted to them. War seems to be the answer to a lot of peoples’ questions. It plays an important role in America’s government and in their political standpoint. However, the soldiers who take part in the war, have their own opinions and thoughts of what war really means. The onlookers and the ones involved have different perceptions of what war stands for. Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried included gruesome images and stories that bring real-life examples of how soldiers encounter the war, which disrupts and challenges the common assumptions that people may have of the war. The fact that the Americans who think war is a good thing cannot listen to a true war story seems counterproductive in that the opposite of what they believe is the reality for these soldiers. It suggests that people do not really want to hear a true war story because they simply cannot handle the truth. No one wants to hear a true war story because it could be too much for them to bare, or not to bare, since they are not the ones constantly in battle. No one wants to listen to the truth being told because they are too busyShow MoreRelatedTim OBriens The Things They Carried Essay1350 Words   |  6 Pagesof doing. Whichever way a person wants to perceive the war is entirely up to them, but the viewpoints of the soldiers’ who are fighting in said war, show perspectives that are often entirely opposite of the views of those Americans. Tim O’Brien’s The Thing They Carried offers insight on the Vietnam War as told by soldiers during that time. O’Brien blurs distinction of what the truth is and what is false when it involves the storytelling of war and how everyone else perceives it; the connection ofRead More What is Love? Tim OBriens The Things They Carried Essay2282 Words   |  10 Pagesstill people that can confuse it because of objects or even words. An example of this confusion can be shown in the novel â€Å"The Things They Carried†, by Tim O’ Brien. Jimmy Cross is fond of Martha and shows strong emotions for her. Jimmy Cross shows his emotions towards Martha right at the beginning of the novel by sharing to us the following: First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a Junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey. They were not love letters, but Lieutenant