Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

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The death of a fellow human, whether it be soldier or friend or maybe even both, never goes silently into the night, no it happens and always has consequences. Whether they are physical or emotional there will always be damage. In Tim O'brien's The Things They Carried soldiers During the Vietnam War, as can be expected, deal with heavy burdens of guilt and shame but that’s only half the struggle. The other begins soon after the death occurs. Coping with the deaths, actions and crimes committed during this war is more often than not harder to get over than the emotional blow itself. Throughout this paper the following things will be discussed: the burdens the main characters in The Things They Carried and the emotional toll of each, the struggle …show more content…

Who wasn’t necessarily crucial to the development of the plot but he does teach a very important lesson in war, no one is left unaffected, everyone gets blood on their hands. Physical injuries can heal with time, the emotional toll for committing such atrocities,…..not so much. After returning home from the war Bowker, unlike O'Brien, didn’t cope with the horrible effects of the war and the things HE carried. After Kiowa's death Bowker took part in a heavy emotional aspect of life. Kiowa's death was in no way quick or painless, he died in a feciese field after Jimmy Cross decided to camo in an unknown field, after the set up camp they realized what the field was but before they could move the rain had been hammering them for hours and mortar rounds bagan exploding on top of them Kiowa was in the wrong place and was hit, Bowker grabbed him but eventually left him in order to …show more content…

Bowker is just one of the many, many people suffering with a mental health issue known as PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder. Only those suffering from PTSD can explain it best, "PTSD is a whole-body tragedy, integral human event of enormous proportions and with massive reprocuctions."(Susuan P. Banitt). The difference between coping and not coping can easily mean life or death. The difference between O'brien and Bowker is no different. O'brien coped through writing the collection of war stories that is The Things They Carried, Bowker on the other hand had not coped. He let the festering wound that is PTSD grow and infect him. Bowker committed suicide after returning home from the war, he hung himself in a YMCA locker room, ultimately giving in to the guilt and the shame. Each character had their burdens, each soldier today also has their burdens. PTSD is nothing new and it's not going to end

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