War In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

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In the book The Things They Carried, there are various themes introduced throughout the book. One of the themes that really stood out to me was how the stress from the war psychologically affected the soldiers. These psychological effects that were shown in the soldiers have been displayed to be puzzling and irrational at times. The examples of this theme creates a vivid imagery in the readers about how war is like and how it psychologically affects you.

One of the examples of this theme is in the chapter “The Dentist” (pg. 82). In this chapter, it shows how the soldiers want to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance among each other. “The Dentist” features a short story about a soldier named Curt Lemon, and after fainting in the dentist’s, he thinks that he has to display his ability to persist anything and in a way to show his “manliness”. This leads him to make an irrational decision and get a perfectly good tooth to be pulled out. I think that if this wasn’t in a war situation, Curt wouldn’t have done this because he wouldn’t feel the need to show his bravery. I come to the conclusion that the war affected Curt to think that physical distress is nothing compared to the mental distress war gives you. …show more content…
131). In this chapter, it shows Norman Bowker after war when he returns back to his hometown. It is shown while he is driving around the lake that Kiowa’s death has triggered a psychological abnormality in Norman. I think what really made me feel sad about this chapter is how even though Norman had gone through a lot physically and mentally, he basically had no one to talk to about these stories and memories he had about the
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