Guilt In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

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“Some irrational and powerful force was resisting, like a weight pushing me toward the war. What it came down to, stupidly, was a sense of shame. Hot, stupid, a shame. I don't want people to think badly of me. Not my parents, not my brother and sister, not even the folks down at the Gobbler Cafe. I was ashamed to be there at the Tip Top Lodge. I was ashamed of my conscience, ashamed to be doing the right thing.” (On the Rainy River). The feeling of shame can hold one back, and an even stronger sense of guilt can cause long-term repercussions. This can be seen in “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien. The soldiers place blame on themselves to distract themselves from war tragedies, which can be an effective coping mechanism. However, it can become …show more content…
The guilt that came from Kiowa’s death stuck with him for the rest of his civilian life, and he eventually hung himself. It was not directly Norman’s fault, but because he was the one to witness Kiowa’s death, he took the responsibility. Which, in turn, caused him to end his own life. Although some believe that blame can be effective and can help people take responsibility for their actions, blame can not always help in the long term. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross uses self-blame to distract himself from the realities of war. Jimmy Cross believes that he is to blame because he was distracted by thoughts of Martha. O'Brien explains, "When a man dies, there has to be blame. Jimmy Cross understood this, too. You could blame the war. A moment of carelessness, bad judgment, or plain stupidity carried consequences that lasted forever." In the Field. 115. Even though death was inevitable, it didn’t stop Jimmy Cross from taking the blame. He feels his friend would still be alive if he had been braver, smarter, or tougher. Jimmy Cross holds onto this guilt throughout the war, presumably making it impossible for him to escape a poor mental
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