Norman Bowker In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

According to Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, this fictional novel is a group of short stories that blended reality and fiction. Tim O’Brien’s storytelling evokes emotional responses from the audience, and it makes them empathise with the characters’ experience throughout the Vietnam War and after the war. In general, veterans who fought in the war change, and they experience disconnection with their friends and family after the war. Norman Bowker is a teenager who was drafted into the war, and he was one of the only good characters in this story. Through this character, we can see Norman Bowker change as the novel progresses and how war can affect people even when the war is over.

During the war, each character carried things that provided them with a sense of comfort, and a way to distract them from the war. For example, Bowker carried a diary (3). Since he carried a dairy which most young girls used, it represents his feminine and thoughtful side. The dairy was an object that Bowker used to escape from reality. Bowker is a character that helps “O’Brien” the

soldier to connect with O’Brien the writer. Bowker embodies the paradox between the need of emotional truth and the pain he goes through in expressing it. In a way, Bowker helps O’Brien realize how writing helped him avoid death. Thus, Norman Bowker is an essential character because he lets Tim O’Brien create fictional stories.
Most individuals would want their parents to acknowledge their existence and praise them for their hard work. Norman Bowker is one of those individual, and his self worth is defined by his father’s expectations. He told Tim O’Brien, “I’ll tell you something, O’Brien. If I could have one wish, anything, I’d wish for my dad to write me a letter and say it’s okay if I don’t win any medals. That’s all my old man thinks about, nothing else. How he can’t wait to see my goddamn medals” (34). After the war, Norman had a chance to talk with his father, but he blew it. In this case, I can relate to Norman because sometimes I have a hard time talking about myself with my father. In another scene where he was at the A&W trying to place his order, but the waitress ignored him to flirt with a group of teenagers (145). There was a time when I didn’t know how to use the intercom to order fast food at Sonic, and it was awkward when I asked a stranger how to use it.
People can make others feel that they’re invisible. When Norman comes home after the war, and he is slowly driving his father’s car because he has no particular place to go. He wanted someone to talk to about his experience in the war. “If Sally had not been married, or if his father were not such a baseball fan, it would have been a good time to talk” (134). Bowker wanted someone to talk to about the war with his father, but he didn’t know how. Bowker thought about a conversation with his dad, and he would’ve told him about Kiowa’s death, a fellow soldier, who he tried to rescue. He felt he was not good enough for his father because his father cares more about baseball than him. When Bowker was at the A&W, he didn’t recognize any of the faces there. Then, Bowker tried to get the attention of the waitress, but she ignored him to flirt with a group of teenagers (145). This made Bowker feel invisible because nobody cares about him, and nothing he does made an impact. In addition, Bowker experienced a sense of lost when the waitress said, “Punch the button and place your order. All I do is carry the dumb trays” (145). He thought a question lingered in her fuzzy eyes, but she just turned around. If she had asked her question, then Bowker wouldn’t have felt invisible. Furthermore, if Bowker didn’t go to war, then he would’ve have been able to use the intercom. Thus, Bowker experienced disconnection because there were many changes in his hometown while he was at war.
Disconnection can make someone commit suicide. When Bowker returns home, he tried to communicate with many people, but they didn’t care about him because he made no impact. Bowker’s encounter with the waitress discouraged him from trying to connect with people. At the A&W, he had a chance to communicate with a fellow soldier over the intercom. The person on the intercom asked, “What do you really need, friend” (146)? Bowker wanted to talk about the war, but he stopped. Then, the guy over the intercom said, “I’m sure as fuck not going anywhere. Screwed to a post, for God sake. Go ahead, try me” (146). At this point he gave up trying to communicate with people even when the opportunity present itself. Norman survived the war physically, but mentally he is still at the war. As a result, Bowker commits suicide because he could no longer cope with what he had experienced in the war, and the disconnection he felt after the war.
Norman Bowker was a teenager drafted into the war, he was a feminine, thoughtful, and invisible person.

During the war, he carried a diary that he used to escape from reality. This represented his feminine and thoughtful side. In the war, he learned to how to use guns to kill people. This is something that ordinary teenagers would do, so Bowker lost his innocent childhood as he goes through life and death situations. When Bowker returns home, he has to deal with his experience at the war, and he had to adjust to being a civilian. He tried to communicate with people, but they either ignored him or they just didn’t care about him. This made Bowker like an invisible person because he had no impact on other people. As the story progresses, he gave up communicating with people, so he let go. Bowker experience disconnection lead him to hang himself in a locker room of YMCA in his

hometown.