Dehumanization In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

587 Words2 Pages

A Soldier’s Fall Dehumanization can stem from traumatic experiences, objectification, and being treated indifferently by others. Victims of dehumanization are engulfed in the flames of immorality and prejudice, losing parts of their humanity. In Tim O’Brien’s fiction novel The Things They Carried, he portrays the harsh realities of war and how it influences a person. Mitchell Sanders, a young soldier, is a new adult entering the war, with his moral and humanity intact. As the story progresses, his behaviors start to reflect the brutal experiences in the war, making him appear as an instrument of warfare that normalizes barbaric actions. Those who are consumed by the war are bound to be dehumanized, as their exposure to violence and death changes their human morals. Mitchell Sanders is a …show more content…

As a member of the Alpha Company, Mitchell Sanders listens to every command his lieutenant gives, despite what he thinks of them. Under his lieutenant’s command, he and the Alpha Company would endure“...sniper fire...[and motoring]...[in this endless march from] village to village, without [a clear purpose]’(14). Mitchell Sanders is constantly under the violent nature of war, from the sniper fire, motoring, and marching to destroy villages. This overwhelming violence can lead to forgetting the purpose of the war. The Lieutenant’s orders keep Mitchell Sanders in this violence, turning him into an instrument of war that only lives to fight in it. Mitchell Sanders now lacks a purpose in the war, yet he continues to risk his life. This shows that the war's influence took a piece of his humanity, which is his autonomy. During these marches, Mitchell Sanders would come across the deaths of his enemies. To cope with the sight of the dead, Mitchell Sanders would make jokes, using their corpses, just like when he came across a VC corpse at the bottom of an irrigation ditch.

Open Document