Curt Lemon Theme

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The way O’Brien describes the setting of Curt Lemon’s death in “How to tell a true war story” helps to illuminate the theme that the experience of war is contradictory, and thus, difficult to convey “truthfully.”

His word choice throughout this passage is characterized by an attentiveness to the beauty of the landscape, while the actions that are going on are careless and even horrific. The imagery that O’Brien uses to describe this landscape is beautiful – drawing the reader’s attention to the peacefulness and calm of the scene, “I still remember that trail junction and the giant trees and a soft dripping sound somewhere beyond the trees. I remember the smell of moss. Up in the canopy there were tiny white blossoms, but no sunlight at …show more content…
At first, the activities of the soldiers seem lazy and careless. Curt Lemon and Rat Kiley are “playing catch with smoke grenades. Mitchell Sanders sat flipping his yo-yo. Norman Bowker and Kiowa and Dave Jensen were dozing, or half-dozing.” “Flipping” a “yo-yo” is an activity one would associate with children – it is childish, mindless. The same could be said about “dozing” and “playing catch.” These activities could take place anywhere – the fact that they are at war seems unrelated to their actions. The one hint of foreboding is the fact that Curt Lemon and Rat Kiley are tossing around “smoke grenades.” A tool of war, even though it is harmless in itself, is being used as a toy. What happens next – in spite of the peace and calm of the setting – involves Curt Lemon likely stepping on a land mine or explosive. The imagery O’Brien uses to describe his death shows both an attention to beauty in the landscape, in contrast with the horror of the event:
“When he died it was almost beautiful, the way the sunlight came around him and lifted him up and sucked him high into a tree full of moss and vines and white blossoms.” Using the word “beautiful” to describe a death this horrific, combined with his continued focus on the beauty of the “tree full of moss and vines and white blossoms” highlights the contrast between the event and the
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