Essays on Tim O'Brien

In Tim O’Brien’s “The Man I killed” guilt is a strong theme within the work. The narrator, Tim, is struggling with his whirlwind of emotions so much so that his own presence disappears within the story as he begins to focus more on the victim…

Every person has their own story. In the novel “The Things They Carried”, by Tim O’Brien, O’Brien talks about his experiences of being thrown into the Vietnam war as a young innocent soldier and explains how not only did he become strongly affected by the…

We all know true war stories cannot be trusted and taken account of, the story of Mary Anne was not a trustworthy story either. Months after her escape into the wilderness Mary Anne had a rendezvous with Fossie and their confrontation was not a small…

The dangers of war far extend passed the physical repercussions of its battles. This is true in all aspects. As cluster bombs can make a habitat unlivable for decades to come, this is nothing compared to the emotional pain a soldier derives from guilt, fear,…

The short story, “On the Rainy River” written by Tim O’Brien, is based on his life experience when a month after graduating from Macalester College he was drafted to fight in war. O’Brien talks about the experience of living with the shame of events, which…

Importance of Title The title of the book we chose is They Things They Carried. The title is significant because the book does not only list the physical burdens each soldier must carry, but also the psychological ones after the war. Each soldier carries different…

In The Things They Carried, just like in real life, storytelling was used to keep the memories of the deceased alive. The author of The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien, was using this method himself by writing his war novel. He told of war comrades…

“For the common soldier,” Tim O’Brien writes in “How to Tell a True War Story,” “war has the feel—the spiritual texture—of a great ghostly fog, thick and permanent. There is no clarity. Everything swirls. The old rules are no longer binding, the old truths no…

The compelling, yet haunting novel by Tim O’Brien “The Things They Carried” has many parallels and contrasts to multiple elements of the culture filled text by Maxine Hong Kingston “The Woman Warrior” including writing style, targeted audience, and perspective. Both novels, “The Things They Carried”…

An Application of the Archetype of the Hero’s Journey to Tim O’Brien’s “On the Rainy River” Tim O’Brien is known for his realistic fiction, often involving a character similar to himself. One such character is the narrator in “On the Rainy River”. This narrator, who…