Themes
Initiation
Initiation is the rite of passage that every adolescent boy must pass through to become a man. The concept of becoming a man is a central part of Vietnam War literature and is present in both The Things They Carried and A Rumor of War. Tim O'Brien is a recent high school graduate who has issues with joining the Alpha Company and being a part of a war he doesn't fully believe in. However, as his time in Vietnam goes on, the horrors of war and the deaths of some of his company members hardens him, effectively forcing hime to grow into a man and to leave his childhood behind. In A Rumor of War, Caputo begins the story as a little boy who desperately wants to prove that he is man and a hero like the ones he's read about in his schoolbook stories. However, his sixteen months of service in Vietnam destroys his youthful idealism, leaving him with a much more realistic and tough world.
Courage and Guilt
The struggle between feeling proud of being a member of the United States military and coming to terms with playing a role in the destruction of a country is an integral theme found in Vietnam War literature. This is depicted in The Things They Carried when O'Brien goes away to war, not because he believes in stopping communism, but because he feels guilty about trying to flee the country when other men is age are dying for the cause. Another example from The Things They Carried comes through the character of Curt Lemon. Lemon feels such shame from fainting at the dentist office, that he has a perfectly good tooth pulls to ease his guilt. This trivial guilt over feeling inadequate completely supersedes his role as a soldier in the war and foreshadows Lemon's imminent death. Caupto deals with guilt differently as he seems to feel much less remorse for his role in Vietnam than O'Brien's characters. His rash nature convolutes his courage, causing his seemingly heroic actions to become lost in corruption.
Death
Upon Caputo's transfer back to duty on the battle line he is elated to have the opportunity to kill people again. He leads several attacks on Vietcong villages that involve bombing them and fighting in hand-to-hand combat. At first, Caputo is elated by the opportunity to play a direct role in the war as he cites revenge as the main reason he wanted to return to the main line. However, Caputo eventually looses control of his men and is even tried for murder. Death is also a central theme to The Things They Carried, and is highlighted when O'Brien kills a young Vietnamese man in the short story, "The Man I Killed." This action haunts him for years after his return from the war and proves to be very difficult for him to get over. May of the men in O'Brien's Alpha Company die during the narrative, leaving the other men to cope with the grief of seeing such grisly violence up close and in person.
Physical and Emotional Burdens
In The Things They Carried, the men of O'Brien's Alpha Company carry all sorts of different items. Henry Dobbins carries his girlfriend's pantyhose, Jimmy Cross carries compasses and maps, Ted Lavender carries tranquilizers, and Kiowa carries a copy of the Bible. All of these men carry some sort of physical burden that symbolizes the emotional burdens that really weigh them down and make them vulnerable. O'Brien, in turn, is tasked with carrying the stories of the physical burdens of his Alpha Company men, resulting in the publication of his novel. In A Rumor of War, Caputo has the difficult task of carrying both his love and hate for war, a struggle that causes him to go back and forth in his allegiance to the American military.
Initiation is the rite of passage that every adolescent boy must pass through to become a man. The concept of becoming a man is a central part of Vietnam War literature and is present in both The Things They Carried and A Rumor of War. Tim O'Brien is a recent high school graduate who has issues with joining the Alpha Company and being a part of a war he doesn't fully believe in. However, as his time in Vietnam goes on, the horrors of war and the deaths of some of his company members hardens him, effectively forcing hime to grow into a man and to leave his childhood behind. In A Rumor of War, Caputo begins the story as a little boy who desperately wants to prove that he is man and a hero like the ones he's read about in his schoolbook stories. However, his sixteen months of service in Vietnam destroys his youthful idealism, leaving him with a much more realistic and tough world.
Courage and Guilt
The struggle between feeling proud of being a member of the United States military and coming to terms with playing a role in the destruction of a country is an integral theme found in Vietnam War literature. This is depicted in The Things They Carried when O'Brien goes away to war, not because he believes in stopping communism, but because he feels guilty about trying to flee the country when other men is age are dying for the cause. Another example from The Things They Carried comes through the character of Curt Lemon. Lemon feels such shame from fainting at the dentist office, that he has a perfectly good tooth pulls to ease his guilt. This trivial guilt over feeling inadequate completely supersedes his role as a soldier in the war and foreshadows Lemon's imminent death. Caupto deals with guilt differently as he seems to feel much less remorse for his role in Vietnam than O'Brien's characters. His rash nature convolutes his courage, causing his seemingly heroic actions to become lost in corruption.
Death
Upon Caputo's transfer back to duty on the battle line he is elated to have the opportunity to kill people again. He leads several attacks on Vietcong villages that involve bombing them and fighting in hand-to-hand combat. At first, Caputo is elated by the opportunity to play a direct role in the war as he cites revenge as the main reason he wanted to return to the main line. However, Caputo eventually looses control of his men and is even tried for murder. Death is also a central theme to The Things They Carried, and is highlighted when O'Brien kills a young Vietnamese man in the short story, "The Man I Killed." This action haunts him for years after his return from the war and proves to be very difficult for him to get over. May of the men in O'Brien's Alpha Company die during the narrative, leaving the other men to cope with the grief of seeing such grisly violence up close and in person.
Physical and Emotional Burdens
In The Things They Carried, the men of O'Brien's Alpha Company carry all sorts of different items. Henry Dobbins carries his girlfriend's pantyhose, Jimmy Cross carries compasses and maps, Ted Lavender carries tranquilizers, and Kiowa carries a copy of the Bible. All of these men carry some sort of physical burden that symbolizes the emotional burdens that really weigh them down and make them vulnerable. O'Brien, in turn, is tasked with carrying the stories of the physical burdens of his Alpha Company men, resulting in the publication of his novel. In A Rumor of War, Caputo has the difficult task of carrying both his love and hate for war, a struggle that causes him to go back and forth in his allegiance to the American military.