AwayFor young people, the Vietnam War is a point of the earlier and
they can only learn about it from second-hand sources. In Tim
Obriens The items They Carried, it becomes incredibly apparent that
the Vietnam turmoil has proved to be the one which many of the
participants have not been able approach away from, whilst getting on
with their lives. Obrien shows that the conflict takes on a
parasitic type that consumes away on its patients for the rest of
their lives.
A parasite is defined as an affected person that increases, feeds, and is also
sheltered on or stuck in a job different patient while damaging its sponsor.
The war in this case takes the area of the patient, and the
host turns into the military. There are several samples of the
parasitic nature of warfare through out the book. In a single particular
section, Harry OBrien comes back to Vietnam with his little girl. Twenty
years had gone by, but it really seems as if all of his thoughts are
targeted back to the time he had spent in the jungle so long
before. Each of them travel all over the country, but before
their starting, he earnings to the field where he feels he lost
anything. On this list he contains his reverance, his best friend
and everything faith in himself. For OBrien, evidence of the parasite
is certainly not solely in the return Vietnam, but rather a continuing
personal preoccupation that seems to stream through the collection
of stories. OBrien shows how the memories of the war take on a
parasitic type, and uses himself as one example.
In the chapter Speaking of Courage, OBrien introduces a
personality by the name of Norman Bowker. In the story Norman finds
him personal home after serving his time in Vietnam. Even though he
has returned in his area, things tend not to seem a similar to him. The
was has put a fresh spin in the life. The majority of the story
he spends driving in circles while thinking about the warfare and his
lack of put in place his old society. The war becomes his expereince of living
and he feels as though he can to significantly distant from your town persons
to allow them to understand. You then finds out that Bowker
does suicide because the parasitic affect of his memories
became to much to get him to deal with.
There is another section in the book in which a man named Jimmy
Cross comes to visit OBrien after the war. They talk of
activities and hardships, then it becomes apparent Get across has
also been unable to totally move on with his existence. There are
still secrets, and they still weigh heavy on his brain even
during his his each day civilian life. OBrien by no means complains
about these concerns, but it is apparent the they will bother him a great
deal.
There are many themes from this book, nevertheless one of the major
ones may be the after effects the war acquired and still has on the men
that were there. It is clear from OBriens writing in Cross
Bowker, and himself is far more than just story telling. In using
these people he attempts showing what the warfare has done for the
human population of troops that took part in the issue.
Words
/ Pages: 551 as well as 24
