July, July By Tim O Brien: An Analysis

July, July by Tim O’Brien, published in 2002, is a fictional novel about a group of college friends that have been affected by the Vietnam War and the war against themselves. At their thirtieth reunion, the middle-age group looks back on their young lives and considers the outcomes if significant events had gone somewhat differently. The struggles and let-downs throughout their lives convinces them to ponder what would have happened if they would not have dreamed too big. The novel encourages me to not let fantasy consume my life, but supports a theme of hope that does not overpower reality.

Using a fascinating structure and style, Tim O’Brien presents each main character with their own chapter to not only captivate the reader, but to give

insight on how the characters become the people they are at the reunion. Though there is not a clear protagonist, each character is forced to face their future and make a choice that could change them forever. Ellie Abbott, a member from the class of 1969, chooses to risk her marriage by telling her husband about her affair with and death of Harmon Osterberg, whom she attended Darton with.

Harmon drowns when he and Ellie go on a secret trip to Loon Point, but when she returns home, Ellie feels the weight of her lies fall on her shoulders. After Harmon’s death, Ellie “[feels] caught” and believes that there is no way she could hide this from Mark, but almost a year later at the reunion, consumed by lies, she tells him (166). Ellie jeopardizes her marriage by confessing to Mark which supports her character development because though she waits a significant amount of time, she is finally released from the guilt of Harmon’s death. Throughout each chapter of the novel, you are pushed into suspense whether it be disastrous or not to the main character of that event. Towards the beginning of the novel, a former classmate, Karen Burns is mentioned due to her recent death. Karen is classified as “the best of [them]” because though she was “full of delusions…, [she] never gave up hope” (8). Unfortunately for Karen, being consumed with fantasies and hope is what leads to her death and the death of the elderly people she is responsible for taking care of. The suspense of

Karen’s chapter is undeniable because she is convinced that a young man she works with, Darrell, might actually have feelings for her and the quick pace throughout hints to the fact that he is just using her and the old people to smuggle drugs across the border.

Most literature contains a tragic event to supplement the story, but in the case of July, July, there is tragedy throughout the whole novel. In one specific case, a Vietnam Veteran, David Todd has gone through tragedy every single day since he was drafted into the war because he is shot in both feet and eventually one of his legs is amputated. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and a serious drug problem which leads to the end of his marriage with Marla Dempsey. David’s voice of conscience, Johnny Ever, makes it very clear that David has a “pitiful future” and if he makes it out alive it will end up “real depressing” (32). David lives with his tragedy every day, but begins to have hope when Marla attempts to invest herself in the relationship at the end of the novel. Going back to their years after college, no one can seem to forget about the Vietnam War, especially Billy McMann. Men in the sixties were drafted into the war, but since Billy is against it he burns his draft card and moves to Winnipeg hoping his college girlfriend Dorothy Stier will join

him. In 1974, Billy “[becomes] a Canadian citizen” and is still running from the fact that he skipped out on the war and was dumped by his college sweetheart (117). Historic settings are fascinating and I appreciate that the war is incorporated in the novel. July, July does not have a clear antagonist, but it is clear that the characters are being antagonized by something or someone in their life. In Paulette Haslo’s case, her antagonist is herself. She struggles to come to terms with the fact that she broke into a deaf woman’s house to steal love letters she had written to the woman’s husband Rudy. Paulette was in love with Rudy and he made her “feel like and girl” and even “beautiful sometimes” (160). Paulette knew it was wrong to see Rudy, but he was one of few people to make Paulette feel loved and special even though she was a minster. Tim O’Brien met and exceeded my standards for good literature in unusual ways due to the approach I took with them and his writing inspires me and will inspire others to face reality, but to not give up hope.
July, July helped me to realize what you miss when your fantasies become your life. Too much fantasy is an illusion, but a good amount of hope can be reality. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend because it is a clear warning of the future that may come to us. If we just dream about someday but never seize the day, we will inevitably be greeted with disappointment, but if we do not take time for granted and we say what we need to say when we need to say it, our dreams become our future.