Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

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Misconceptions of Vietnam The Vietnam War was one of the most controversial and misunderstood conflicts in history. Over the years, many misconceptions have piled up and continue to be believed. This essay will clear up some of these rumors and provide a more accurate representation of the Vietnam War using the novel “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien and various other sources. Tim's novel is a true example of what life was like during the war, but using made-up characters. Every experience is told from his point of view to help the reader better understand the lies surrounding the Vietnam War. This essay will encourage people to dive deeper into their research and not believe everything they hear just because it's more pleasant. The first common misconception about the Vietnam War is that it was a war between communism and democracy. While communism was a factor, the war was indefinitely a civil war between Vietnamese nationalists who planned to unify the country and those …show more content…
In reality, the movement was made up of a diverse range of citizens, such as veterans, religious leaders, and politicians. “...and millions of ferocious citizens waving flags of all shapes and colors.” (56) These protesters are all different people with the same ultimate goal. The few people who stood up to the government and knew drafting young men to kill innocent people was wrong should get more credit. The anti-war movement was not only motivated by the opposition to the war itself but also by people's concerns about the government's war conduct and the impact of the war on society as a whole. Tim felt that he was not someone who should be involved in a war: “I was a liberal for Christ's sake: if they needed fresh bodies, why not draft some back-to-the-stone-age-hawk?” (40). Showing his opinion that it doesn't matter who they were, they could be drafted if it meant more people to
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Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

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situation of the characters. Tim O’Brien writes his novels with numerous uses of metaphors, symbolism, and personification, all while telling different war stories that may or may not have been real. However, what evokes thought in the reader's mind is the specific choice to ask about their feelings and their thoughts as part of the book. How would they react to situations like these if they were put in the shoes of the soldiers? In the book, The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien…

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