Summary Of The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

This autobiography written by Tim O’Brien tells us about his journey as a solider in Vietnam war. It tells all his struggles during the training camp and his time in the Vietnam. This book clearly provides an inner view of Tim’s thinking before going to Vietnam and during the war. It explains the situation the US army during the Vietnam war. Throughout this whole book Tim keeps pushing his idea about how war is wrong. From the beginning of the book he made it clear that war in not good. He kept mentioning that the war was wrong. ‘I was persuaded then, I remain persuaded now, the war was wrong. And since it was wrong …( O'Brien . p.18). Tim was drafted to go to the war in Vietnam for 12 months. He was not happy nor encouraged to go and serve

in the army. But on the other hand he was also thinking about his society and family. So, during his days in training camp in at Fort Lewis and his days in the jungles of Vietnam as a ground solider, he was struggling on the question that should he continue to fight in the war or desert.

Even before going for training he feels that war is pointless and he should not go there. He was very upset at the draft system and his town. ‘ With delightful viciousness, a secret will, I declared the war evil, the draft board evil, the town evil in its lethargic acceptance…( O'Brien. P.20). When he reaches the training camp in Washington, he started his research on the plans of escape. At that time he was not really confident about his reason to leave. He was reading the articles about the interviews of the deserts and trying to figure out a solid reason that can convince him to leave. “I was more concerned with their psychology and with what compelled the to pack up and leave”( O'Brien. P.53). He planned to escape to the Canada and then fly to Norway. He also went to talk to a higher officer about how he feels about the Vietnam war. But the officer talks him out by telling him that he is just scared and he will be fine. But during his escape he thought about his family, town and friends and felt very

bad. He thought he was being coward so he dropped the plan and went back to the training camp. In Vietnam the US solider are not motivated to fight the war they are just there to complete their 365 days and go back home. Even the high officers were not interested in fighting. It was clearly demonstrated when they report the fake ambush to the higher base without even doing it. There was no moral support for the foot solider. During the journey of alpha company through the villages it never felt like they are fighting in a war. The platoons never followed the instructions of higher officers and always tried to avoid the work He was very upset about his situation. During his bad situations he thought about the courage and he did not wanted to be a coward. He kept himself endured by thinking how he came so far and he has to show his courage. But he did not think that he was a courageous man the reason he was fighting in that war was to keep his families respect in his town. “Fear that to avoid the war is to avoid manhood”( O'Brien p.38).
He never wanted to be in that war but during the end of his service he got lucky and he got a job at the base away from the battleground. That job was easy and low risk. He liked doing his rear job. He explains his experience as ‘ I made the best of it, churning out the paperwork like a man who loves his job, making myself indispensable (O'Brien. p.180). After facing all the hard times he finally finished his service and flawed back to home safely. He served his term but his thinking about the war was still same. He always believed that the America’s involvement in the war was unnecessary. He did not wanted to serve in a war that has nothing to do with his life and country. I agree whit Tim on this topic. No country should go into a war that has nothing to do with the country. All the draftees were basically forced to serve in the war that had nothing to do with their country. No one would like to fight a war as risk of his life for some other country. This argument is still relevant, US military is fighting a war in Afghanistan. Just like Vietnam, Afghanistan war does not have anything to do with US but still the US citizens are being sent to fight that war and risk their life for some other countries situation.
During his time on the ground Tim really put his thinking in finding the meaning of courage and did not think that he was a courageous man.

He kept mentioning the fear of getting shot or stepping on a mine but even under all the fear he completed his duty like a hero. I think of him as a brave and heroic person. In all that fear and no motivation he was still able to finish his duty. War was no directly linked to him but he felt his responsibility towards h He thought it was his duty to save the respect of his family and town. ‘ I owed the prairie something. For twenty-two years I’d lived under his laws, accepted its education, eaten its food….( O'Brien. p.18) he realized that he never thought about Canada before this summer and now when he I drafted he is thinking to leave his country and go to Canada. He encouraged himself in one way or the other and finished his duty. He clearly demonstrated his heroic personality in the Vietnam

war.