Coping Mechanisms Amidst War: Insights from Tim O’Brien

Being forced into a war he has no interest in, Tim O’brien recounts his time fighting in the vietnam war. Many of the soldiers there carried things deep to their hearts. Others carried fear, guilt, and despair of what they had done and what was to come. These physical things were a way these soldiers could cope with their feelings and try and stay sane during these times. “Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey.”(1) These letters were coping mechanisms for Jimmy and he read them when he needed comforting or just to read them to help him forget.

This story illustrates how the word love can be interpreted different ways. To Jimmy Cross, he is for love, but yet against

Jimmy Cross was one of them. As his obsession with Martha grew, he no longer had his eyes on what was important like staying alive and protecting his fellow soldiers. One day outside of the village Than Khe, in mid-April, a soldier by the name of Ted Lavender was shot in the head. Jimmy feels great guilt over Ted’s death because he is responsible for the entire team of soldiers. Due to his obsession, he ended up losing a life on his team and it was a preventable death. This put a heavy guilt on his shoulders. When Martha told him that she did not really love him, he was crushed and realized what his obsession had done to Ted and what could have happened to the rest of the

Tim did not agree with the war. He did not think the war was justified. He believed there was no reason for the war. He contemplated going across the Canadian border so he wouldn 't have to fight in the war. But the guilt and shame from his family would push him to go in anyway. As the war went on he felt guilty because he didn 't believe in himself enough to live according to his beliefs.

This book shows that in highly emotional situations you react before thinking. Two soldiers named Strunk and Jensen got into a fight. Strunk stole Jensen’s jackknife. When Jensen found out, he retaliated by breaking Strunk’s nose. This shows that people don 't always think and just react to situations. Also there is irony in this. They both are fighting on the same team in this war, but yet are fighting each other.

The men in the group faced a challenge of showing bravery. They always had to “one up” each other. The soldiers were told to go to the dentist. As they were told this, Curt fainted. This showed how he was unmanly, which wasn’t very good for his reputation. So when it was his turn, he told the doctor to pull one of his teeth. This was to show how he was a bigger and better man than the rest because nothing was wrong with that tooth or any other tooth. Later, Lemon is killed by playing catch with a grenade. This showed how dumb it was to try and waste their time trying to show everyone how they were bigger