The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
The Things They Carried is a collection of short stories by Tim O’Brien that was published in 1970. The novel offers up a variety of different perspectives from a platoon of American soldiers in O’Brien’s Alpha Company. O’Brien uses a unique style of writing called verisimilitude or story-truths that blends elements of fact and fiction in telling his stories. Although, O’Brien’s narrative is not necessarily true, it is framed by his real life experiences, effectively telling the traumatic story of every Vietnam soldier. In the narrative, O’Brien describes the gory and grisly deaths of his comrades, providing graphic images to the war. His book utilizes numerous characters to show the transformations that occurred in the lives of all of Alpha Company’s soldiers. The pain and terror of daily deaths deeply affected every one of O’Brien’s characters, creating a bond between them that was necessary for survival. These bonds between the soldiers reflects the mutual hate of men who detested the war they were fighting in, yet had no other choice but to continue. The Things They Carried is the story of the involvement of many soldiers in the most controversial and brutal war in recent American history, a fight that should never be forgotten.
The Stories:
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Characters:
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The Author:
- Born October 1, 1946 in Austin, Minnesota
- Attended Macalester College; graduate work at Harvard University - Years active: 1973 - Present - Other notable works: If I Die in a Combat Zone, Going After Cacciato, In the Lake in the Woods - Year of service: 1968 - 1970 - Service branch: United States Army - Awarded the Purple Heart |