Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

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Studies of the Vietnam War have concluded that an astounding fifteen percent of returning American veterans suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome, many of whom are also victims of depression and other psychological illnesses that plagued them for life (“PublicHealthVa”). As people return from the battlefield to their home country, they continue to face an internal conflict that is often the same degree of hardship that they became all too used to during the war. In the novel, The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien touches on this conflict and presents the methods he used to try to maintain his composure both during and after the war. O’Brien delves into the emotional struggles associated with war as he describes the man he shot and killed. …show more content…
O’Brien finalizes his internal struggles in the novel as he reflects on a girl who passed away during his childhood. Although his stories of her are completely fabricated, they still allow O’Brien the closure he needed to move on with his life. O’Brien also presents a character named Norman that directly contrasts his own experiences in life. Norman has many war stories to tell and has faced many traumatic moments, yet he has no one to share them with who eats at him over time. Norman serves as a grave reminder of the purpose of storytelling for O’Brien and many other veterans, as his inability to share his stories directly led to his eventual suicide. In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien describes differing coping strategies that emphasize the necessity of an outlet for returning Vietnam War veterans. To begin, O’Brien uses projection to maintain a sense of reality in the war, whereas Norman allows the conflict to blur the lines between imagination and reality. Throughout the war and its aftermath, Tim can maintain a level head and focus on the tasks ahead. The conflict in Vietnam was notorious for its ability to drive soldiers to near
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