Summary Of Tim O 'Brien's Novel The Things They Carried'

Tim O’Brien’s novel The Things They Carried follows a platoon of soldiers in the vietnam war. The war reveals traits in the soldiers. O’Brien displays that war reveals traits such as boredom, fear, and bravery.
War reveals boredom in people. O’Brien describes most of the Vietnam war during the interim of battles. Most of the time between battles provides little entertainment, O’Brien writes, “If you weren't humping, you were waiting. I remember the monotony.” (O’Brien 34). O’Brien displays contrast between battle and peace, this contrast bores soldiers during peace because they become used to the excitement of battle. The soldier’s perception of beauty in war also reveals boredom, O’Brien writes, “war is drudgery […] You admire the fluid symmetries of troops on the move, the harmonies of sound and shape and proportion […] You hate it, yes, but your eyes do not” (O’Brien 80). This displays boredom because the untraditional beauty the soldiers see results from drudgery and insipidness. Clearly war creates a sense of boredom.
Tim O’Brien displays war fosters fear. O’Brien describes war as multi-faceted and includes fear, he writes, “War is hell, but that's

not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror” (O’Brien 80). Soldiers describe war with many facets including frightening, the mystery of not knowing what torture happens next petrifies soldiers. Simple practical jokes display the fear in war, O’Brien writes, “I was the blind stare in the eyes of all those poor, dead, dumbfuck ex-pals of mine all the pale young corpses, Lee Strunk and Kiowa and Curt LemonI was the beast on their lips I was Nam the horror, the war.” (O’Brien 209). O’Brien compares himself to war this displays fear because war turns him into something he fears, an atrocity. The Things They Carried exhibits that war brings out fear.
War reveals bravery in people.

War reveals bravery through personal achievement, O’Brien writes, “He wished he could have explained some of this. How he had been braver than he ever thought possible, but how he had not been so brave as he wanted to be. The distinction was important.” ( O’Brien 153). . Tim O’Brien shows internal bravery when he deals with weakness, O’Brien writes, “[Azar] looked down at me with a mixture of contempt and pity. After a second he shook his head. "Man, I'll tell you something. You're a sorry, sorry case." I was trembling. I kept hugging myself, rocking, but I couldn't make it go away.” (O’Brien 216). Azar calls Tim weak for dealing with fear with tears, however this shows Tim’s real bravery because he deals with his problems openly. Clearly O’Brien displays that war reveals

bravery.