War Stories: The Things They Carried, By Tim O Brien

946 Words2 Pages

War stories are hard to tell. Vietnam ones, particularly so. Veterans sometimes find it hard to convey their experiences. They are such traumatic and deeply influencing memories that a person might not find the words to describe it. However, other times, the problem lies on the receiving end. In his fictional work The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien argues that people tend to not listen and to not care for the truth. He also argues that war stories are sometimes not fully about the war, either. In Speaking of Courage, Norman Bowker finds that there is no one to talk to. Earlier, in How to Tell a True War Story, O'Brien concludes that "[a true war story is] about … people who never listen" (81). Bowker certainly has things to tell; Kiowa's …show more content…

However, O'Brien says in How to Tell a True War Story that "a true war story is never about war" (81). War is not a concept that can be easily comprehended and experienced by soldiers in the field. They are usually, by necessity, fine-tuned to the small reality of themselves and their immediate surroundings. Bowker present an excellent example. His tour of service was probably the most impacting experience of his life; however, what he can remember does not focus on the whole war, but on the field of waste they camped in. It focuses on Kiowa's slipping away: "He released Kiowa's boot and watched it slide away. ...then he lay still and tasted the shit in his mouth and closed his eyes and listened to the rain and explosions and bubbling sounds. […] All he wanted was a bath. Nothing else. A hot soapy bath." (143) The details are components of the war; but the war itself is never mentioned. Nothing about the stereotypical war actions of fighting, shooting, and killing is mentioned, either. Kiowa's death haunts Bowker for the duration of his life, and O'Brien illustrates an important concept by presenting it in such a personal way: war stories are not about

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