NOTES

I LOVE THIS CHAPTER!!!!!!! It finally answers most underlying questions I had about the novel and its stories and the author himself. Tim O'Brien reveals to us the purpose of his writing..

"I do not look on my work as therapy, and still don't. Yet when I received Norman Bowker's letter, it occurred to me that the act of writing had led me through a swirl of memories that might otherwise have ended in paralysis or worse."

O'Brien confesses to his audience that if it were'nt for him letting out his grief and emotions about the war through his writings, he may have ended up like Norman. Norman was not a strange or different man. He just needed to talk. He needed some kind of reconciliation of his memories. Like the earlier motif mentioned, war just makes people do out of the ordinary things.

Alone

Poor Norman Bowker. He returns home from war and all he finds is emptiness. There's no one to tell his stories to, no one who will listen. Especially, no one will understand. Everyone who was not at war has changed. Either they have moved on or they just do not care about what the war meant or accomplished or not. For these soldiers returning home, the war was all they knew. They had so much built up inside, bubbling up and wanting to be released. But no one would listen. No one would understand. In my opinion, the soldiers need a get away. They've been hoping for this day to come and now that it has, nothing has changed. (Except maybe the fear of enemy ambushes.) The affects of war will follow these men throughout their entire lives.

"Dance Right"

The small girl dancing (pages 129-130) resembles Mary Anne and how she reacted to the brutal war. When Mary Anne realized how foreign the war seemed, her curiosity and emotions overtook her and led her to do something crazy. Similarily, when the young girl realized her life as she knew it was crumbling around her, she did the only thing she knew. Dance. Strange it may seem, but there is a motif of strange behavior in all of O'Brien's stories. Mary Anne, Rat Kiley, Henry Dobbins, and the young girl all practice strange behavior..most likely due to the war and its extremties. If I were in this situation, I would most likely do something crazy...so would many of us "crazy teens".

Sorrow and Guilt

War. Obviously where casualities are normal. Killing is expected. In my opinion, Tim O'Brien includes this chapter (pages 118-124 - The Man I Killed) to release his guilt. If this story is true...which I believe it is..then I think he needed someway to let it all out of his head. He gives such clear, vivid detail of the man. He even imagines some of his goals and dreams and background. Although I would also need to release guilt and sorrow if I was in his position, I for sure would not feel bad about it. I mean, this is war. If someone of the enemy was near, with a weapon, I would feel almost happy/relieved to make the kill!!! In some way, the story reveals to the audience a little of O'Brien's character. A sensitive and gentle boy/man, not one to kill willingly and often.

Minister

On pages 113-117, Tim O'Brien explains a scenario of his time in Vietman that occured inside an "almost abandoned" church. The two monks (who spoke nearly no English at all) openly accepted the soldiers. This specific scene reminded me of our Catholic faith here at Roncalli High School. We accept all with open arms with the simple understanding of God as our creator and Jesus our savior. O'Brien describes that the monks took a special liking to Henry Dobbins (the pantyhose guy)..but he does'nt really explain the reason. Maybe because of his generous and decent attitude about everything.

Good Luck...Undergarments

I loved hearing about Henry Dobbins and his "magic pantyhose". Everyone's gotta have something of emotional security. Just like a young child who carries around a blankie or a special stuffed animal, Henry Dobbins carries his girlfriend's pantyhose when he goes into battle.

"He liked putting his nose into the nylon and breathing in the scent of his girlfriend's body; he liked the memories that inspired; he sometimes slept with the stockings up against his face, the way an infant sleeps with a flannel blanket, secure and peaceful." (page 111)

I think it is extremely cute and romantic! I personally have one of my boyfriend's sweatshirts to hold onto when I miss him...and I'm sure I'm not the only one ladies! It makes me feel safe and at peace, similar to Henry Dobbin's situation.

Mary Anne

The girl went crazy. The story, according to Rat Kiley, is probably the most interesting story I've read in the novel. I have yet to realize exactly what the purpose of Mary Anne's story is..although I have some ideas. As liberal and anti-sexist as I am, I do believe that women/young girls do not belong in war. The affects of war - killing, guts, glory, blood, craziness, sorrow, guilt - even haunts the average man (for example, Tim O'Brien). I can only imagine what a woman would come back with if she went to war. Women are just naturally more emotional than men, scientifically proven (a little thing called estrogen!). In my opinion, Mary Anne simply went nuts. Everything around her was too much, but not too much to run away. Just too much to handle. She was drowned with curiousity of everything going on around her, she finally snapped. I am still trying to wrap my brain around this specific war story.... trying to figure the underlying meaning.

Cowardly Soldier

Curt Lemon. Tough, daredevil, dangerous, funny, and sarcastic. Also, scared of the dentist. I love that Tim O'Brien added this specific story to the novel because its also a very familiar situation to most people. Everyone is scared of something, whether it be something significant like drowning or something small like spiders. No matter who it is, they have some type of fear. Yes, even NFL players and the President of the United States fears something or someone. What seems to be the toughest guy in the squad is scared of the simpliest thing, a dental checkup. He's fighting in a deadly and confusing war, but he's more afraid of the dentist!!!! No one is perfect. We all have some sort of flaw. FEAR!!

True War

Tim O'Brien's chapter titled "How to Tell a True War Story" (pages 64-81)sort of puts the whole book into perspective for the audience. There isn't really a climatic plot to the novel, only a bunch of small stories. I think the purpose of this entire chapter is to explain to the reader's exactly what is and is not true of the Vietnam stories. He states, "...if a [war] story seems moral, do not believe it. If at the end of the story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie." (page 65)

I have never thought about this but it really does make sense. All these heroic stories we hear may not be true. War is war. There's nothing good or soothing about it. It's all evil, gory, and provocative! Eighteen to twenty-five year old men/boys are not noble and honorable yet...they're killers with dirty mouths. I'll certainly think twice about the next war story I hear.

Enemies and Friends

Of course war is centered around enemies and friends of opposite countries. But what about enemies and friends within the same army, let alone the same squad? O'Brien tells a story of two men who get in a fist fight over a missing jacknife; a pretty common happening with teens today. Fighting is always the answer! Although the fight was simple and stupid, the man who had "won" was scared of revenge. His "enemy" ate where he ate, slept where he slept, and carried around a giant weapon at all times. He now had to not only worry about the foreign enemy, but the enemy who was supposed to have his back when going into battle. Its rather interesting that being at war can make one so uncertain of familiar things, such as fellow American men who just wanted to return home to their girlfriends. It cracks me up what the first man says at the end of the chapter about his worried enemy...

"The man's crazy..I stole his f#####g jacknife."

The Wise One

"The man who opened the door that day is the hero on my life. How do I say this without sounding sappy? Blurt it out - the man saved me." (pages 45-46)

Man this chapter has alot to take in! The old man who kept the inn on the river was said to be O'Brien's savior. He continues to tell how the old man just sat back and listened. he offered no questions, but indeed gave the young boy (O'Brien) everything he needed with silence. It also amazes me that the old man somehow knew the entire situation by the end of the six days, even though no words in that direction were spoken. On page 51 when they are settling the expenses and wages, the old man says something sort of hinting he knew. "Pick it up. Get yourself a haircut." Woah. Don't all soldiers get a certain haircut before shipped to their destination? Gooooood writing O'Brien.

Anyway, in times like these I certainly hate to be alone, but also hate to be bothered and questioned - only making the matter at hand worse. I can relate to this scenerio greatly!! Thank's to the old man, Elroy Berdahl, O'Brien figured out his duty.

Ashamed and Embarrassed.

After asking questions about the undefined war, O'Brien continues to tell his most secret story. A story almost more powerful and significant to the audience than any combat stories later to come. Run away to Canada to avoid reality? Lose whole life and all dreams and goals because of one minor flaw - embarrassment.

"It had nothing to do with morality. Embarrassment, that's all it was...I would go to the war - I would kill and maybe die - because I was embarrassed not to." (page 57)

I connect this scene with certain times in all teenage lives. Maybe its not something as terrible as war, but it is a common occurence. I'm sure all of us have had a moment in our lives where we thought running away was the answer, and we were most definitely going to do it, if it were'nt for that mere guilt we had. Guilty, ashamed, and most of all embarassed of what those close to us would think. What people would say if we disappeared to ease our stress. I admit it, I've thought about it many times. From things as simple as not doing well on a test to fights with my parents, it's happened. Of course none of these occurences are as important as the war.

Hated War.

In chapter 4, On the Rainy River, Tim O'Brien begins to tell a story "[he's] never told anyone before." He starts by telling about the receiving of his draft letter. The letter that drafted him into "the war [he] hated." He continues with a rant of questions that were commonly asked then, and commmonly asked now about the Vietnam War.

"Who started it, when and why?...Was Ho Chi Minh a Communist scrooge, or a nationalist savior, or both, or neither? What about the Geneva Accords? What about SEATO and the Cold War?" (page 38)

It is funny to me that all these questions were ones unanswered both at the time of the War.. and now, as we all sit in history class with Mrs. Helbing. She tries to explain the purpose and the reason but yet it still all remains undefined. I took a test and a final exam with the Vietnam War included. I passed. But as I continue to read the novel and hear the questions, they still remain unanswered. Will anyone ever know the true purpose of the war? I could tell anyone the purpose and reasons for the Civil and both World Wars. But not this one.

METAPHOR!!!!!!!

YESSS! I love when I happen to stumble across a literary term instead of having to search the novel endlessly! Chapter 3, Spin, includes a giant metaphor comparing the game of checkers to the Vietnam War.

"There was something restful about it, something orderly and reassuring. There were red checkers and black checkers. The playing field was laid out in a strict grid, no tunnels or mountains or jungles. You knew where you stood. You know the score. The pieces were out on the board, the enemy was visible, you could watch the tactics unfolding into larger strategies. There was a winner and a loser. There were rules."

O'Brien lays it all out on the line here for the audience. He makes the differences between checkers and the war vividly clear. Anyone with little knowlegde about war would still understand the metaphor. From what I've learned about the Vietnam War -that there was no clear reason to fight, no clear goal, and no clear path with a country full of jungle ahead - the comparison between these two extremely different "games" is illustrated perfectly.

A Born Author

The second chapter flashes forward to many years after the end of the war, when Lieutenant Cross visits O'Brien. The two chat about past times, feeling sorrow and guilt. After discussing Jimmy Cross's relationship (or not relationship --- whatever it is) with Martha, it seems that O'Brien has an epiphany. Talking about the numerous stories of the war inspires O'Brien as a writer. "..I told him that I'd like to write a story about some of this." I wonder if this part of the story is true..I have yet to figure out if the whole novel is nonfiction, or if only bits and pieces are actual happenings. Is Jimmy Cross and his "lover" Martha a main inspiration for Tim O'Brien's work? Maybe a hint will come later in the novel.

Martha, Martha, Martha

The first and most elaborate "thing carried" that narrator/author Tim O'Brien describes is letters from Martha. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried the letters with him as a symbol of love, or at least hopeful for love. "..she never mentioned the war, except to say, Jimmy, take care of yourself. The letters weighed four ounces. They were signed Love, Martha, but Lieutenant Cross understood that Love was only a way of signing and did not mean what he sometimes pretended it meant." In my opinion, Cross carried these letters as merely a sign of hope. Hope to return home and live a normal peaceful life. I think O'Brien makes this the first "thing carried" as if to show the emotional side of the soldiers. To illustrate to the audience that not only weapons were carried during battle, but items of significance to the individual soldier. I know if it were me, I would carry a picture of my family and loved ones - praying I'd return home to see them again.

The Things They Carried

I have just begun Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, and after the first chapter it is already more interesting to me than The Sun Also Rises. Before beginning, I read all the reviews in the first few pages and on the back cover. The critic reviews, all 47 of them, were extrememly positive and almost passionate about the work. They really gave me a sense of excitement for myself to read the novel as well. I was also fantastically pleased to find the novel was about the Vietnam War. Being one of my favorite subjects to learn about in history class, I could'nt wait to read more! I only hope it remains at least half as appealing as the last one!