“And in the end, of course, a true war story is never about war. It’s about sunlight. It’s about the special way that dawn spreads out on the river when you know you must cross the river and march into the mountains and do things you are afraid to do. It’s about love and memory. It’s about sorrow. It’s about sisters who never write back and people who never listen” (O’Brien pg.85). The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, was a compilation of everything that makes a TRUE war story. Being in Vietnam did not mean that the men were not day dreaming about girls and going home, wishing they didn’t have to take the night watch duty. Yes, they were at war, and no, they weren’t consumed by it. They took things with them to keep their minds off of their surroundings like comic books and bibles. For these men they were still boys, some of them, and their life was being lived in a war but that didn’t stop them from taking M&M’s as a snack. They hiked through the foreign land thinking about the past, the things they missed, what they wanted to do, and I think it is because death was such a real possibility that they were finally ready to live life. Before, in the comfort of their homes, how much appreciation did they truly have for a comic book or chocolate candies? Now it was a saving grace, a reward after a long hike through enemy territory. It’s the memories of the happy and simple even unimportant things that carried them through just in the hope that they could make more of these memories. These were boys becoming men in the face of death, all they had was each other to keep their minds busy, and the hope for something more that a rain resistant poncho and helmet waiting for them. Because when a war story is written, it does not speak about strategic planning and rerouting or ammunition counts, no it speaks of the people involved and what kept them driving forward. http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-11-12/opinion/17318853_1_marine-amphibious-assault-vehicle-torso- If true war stories interest you, this is the place to go.
Works Cited
O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried: a Work of Fiction. New York: Broadway, 1998.
I really like your analysis Katie Adams because it is very deep. The ideas of why they carried so many things with them when traveling really is about holding on to the past and trying to stay positive. I also like the quote you chose. O'Brian shows that war is just not about what is portrayed in the movies, but so much more. It is about family and loved ones that the men cling to. Nice job girl.
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