The Things They Carried Reader Response

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is a great book, that is full of detail and emotion. It offers a window to a surprising real view of the war. Tim O'Brien is a wonderful author, who kept me interested throughout the book but also confused.

When it comes to the complete truth behind this book, I wasn't quite sure what to believe. In the beginning it seems the book is a recollection of Tim's personal experiences in Vietnam. Yet O'Brien writes,"...a long time ago I walked through Quang Ngai Province as a foot soldier. Almost everything else is invented"(179). The stories and characters in The Things They Carried seem so real and really drew me in, but is it all made up?

Although, even if the characters and stories aren't completely true they still offer a strong truth of what Vietnam was like. Through this book O'Brien shares the soldier's view of the war, not the politicians or the patriotic citizens, but the young men who were sent over to a fight a war most didn't understand. O'Brien mentions his own breakdown when he received his draft notice. His near escape to Canada, a choice between safety or pride. I thought it was strange when Tim mentions he was a coward because he went to war. In society we normally think of soldiers as heroes, brave men risking their lives for their country. But for Tim it was different, he was a coward for giving into a war he didn't believe in or understand. The descriptions of the war from a soldiers stand point caught my eye. It is a honest recollection by men who lived through it. O'Brien recalls, "but it was not battle, it was just the endless march, village to village, without purpose, nothing won or lost"(15). War is not as glorious as it is made to be, it is a continuous march with no clear destination. O'Brien writes, "war has a feel...of a great ghostly fog...There is no clarity...Right spills over into wrong. Order blends into chaos, love into hate..."(82). For the soldiers war was like another world, nothing is the same and all the rules change.

Each chapter in the book seems as if it could be its own short story. Sometimes it was easy for me to follow along, and other times it seemed like the book jumped around too much. But I think each chapter is essential to get the full meaning of the book.

I loved the first chapter of the book and how O'Brien would start each new thought with what the soldiers carried. He mentioned how they carried things by necessity, various missions, protection and how they carried each other. Tim states, "Often, they carried each other, the wounded or weak" (14). It helps show the bonds that form between each solider, and how they need each other to get through the war. The soldiers learn and grow together with each new day. They form their own families and lean on each other to get through the war.

I did not care for Sweetheat of the Song Tra Bong, it was my least favorite chapter. I could not get over the fact that Mark Fossie actually flew his girlfriend to Vietnam. How is that even possible? Why would you want your girlfriend to experience something so atrocious as war. Mary Ann is a very unique character though, who brought her own spin to the book. She went to Vietnam as a young, bubbly naive girl. Curious about everything, soaking up as much information as she could. The war begins to take its toll on her and she ends up joining the Green Berets an wearing a necklace of human tongues. It is all too far fetched for me.

Overall this book impressed my immensely. I love O'Brien's writing style and how descriptive the stories and characters are. He had great quotes and opened my eyes to a new view on war stories.

A few questions...
How much of the story is true, if any at all.
Are the character in the book real people because he did dedicated the book to them.
Why did Rat torture the baby buffalo? Was it his way to deal with Lemon's death?