So far, I really like The Things They Carried. It's different from what I typically read and has a certain power to it that only novels can really portray. I love the way Tim O'Brien tells stories with certain uses of detail, reflection, interior monologue, and dialogue. One of my favorite passages is from 'Ambush': "Even now I haven't finished sorting it out. Sometimes I forgive myself, other times I don't. In the ordinary hours of life, I try not to dwell on it, but now and then, when I'm reading a newspaper or just sitting alone in a room, I'll look up and see the young man step out of the morning fog. I'll watch him walk toward me, his shoulders slightly stooped, his head cocked to the side, and he'll pass within a few yards of me and suddenly smile at some secret thought and then continue up the trail to where it bends back into the fog." (pg. 128). I think this passage in particular is a great example of detail, reflection, and interior monologue. He reflects on what he would've done differently if he had the chance while also revealing what he often thinks about. The details about his stooped shoulders, cocked head, and the fog are examples of detail that he uses.
My favorite chapter so far is 'How to Tell a True War Story' because it is essentially the basis of the entire novel. From chapter to chapter, O'Brien is telling different stories and experiences from a time of war. Some are pre-war, during the war, and post-war. My favorite quote from the chapter is one of my favorite quotes from the entire novel: "And in the end, of course, a true war story is never about war. It's about sunlight. It's about the special way that dawn spreads out on a river when you know you must cross the river and march into the mountains and do things you are afraid to do. It's about love and memory. It's about sorrow. It's about sisters who never right back and people who never listen." (pg. 81).
My favorite character in the book so far is Mary Anne Bell from 'Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong.' She is not a reoccurring character, but she stood out to me the most. A large majority of the characters presented by O'Brien are men. In addition to mostly men, they are all depicted in a time of war. Mary Anne Bell is not only a female character, but she is thrown into the war. She's not just a girlfriend waiting at home, wondering about the war. She experiences it first hand. The story she is a part of, however, has a large chance of not being true. But nonetheless, she stood out to me. Rat Kiley told the story of Mary Anne Bell, and one quote of his stood out to me the most: "'She wasn't dumb,' he'd snap. 'I never said that. Young, that's all I said. Like you and me. A girl, that's the only difference, and I'll tell you something: it didn't amount to jack. I mean, when we first got here - all of us - we were real young and innocent, full of romantic bullshit, but we learned pretty damn quick. And so did Mary Anne.'" (pg. 93). I love that quote because it makes a point about war and how it changes people - regardless of gender or anything else that people think makes a difference. Rat Kiley is clearly defensive and emotional about Mary Anne Bell because she was someone he loved, and war destroyed her the same way it destroyed him.
My parents didn't know much about Vietnam when I asked them. I don't have a lot of older people I can ask, so I didn't get much first-hand background of the war and that time period. With that being said, I didn't have many preconceptions about Vietnam. We never spent much time talking about it in school, so I never gave it as much thought as WWI or WWII. However, I think that's why this book is more interesting to me, because I wasn't entirely sure what I was expecting from it before I began reading it. I'm learning about Vietnam and war in general from this novel, but not in the traditional textbook way. When reading a WWII novel, for example, I go into with what I already know about the Holocaust with concentration camps and Anne Frank, and it changes the way I read the book. Without any background, I'm reading The Things They Carried with a fresh perspective.
I agree, this book is definitely not what I generally read, however it is fascinating and I am really glad we are reading it because I find it very interesting and insightful on the war and what soldiers were thinking/what they felt while serving.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation of the book. it was different. It puts us on the battlefield and in the mind of the individuals in the text. It was written with great detail. it must of been difficult trying to relate to the war. I am surprised your school did not go more I dept on the subject. Good thing we are going over it now so you know the significance.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the quote you chose from Ambush. I thought that it was really cool how Tim's attitude towards the killing shifted so dramatically as opposed to his initial reaction in "The Man I Killed." It really just goes to show that if you take a step back, things get a bit more clear.
ReplyDeleteI really liked Mary Bell also because we got to experience her transformation and like you said with the way Tim O'Brien writes it makes you feel like you could have been there. I also didn't know much about the Vietnam war before this class and I agree learning about some aspects of the war through this novel makes it interesting.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that this book is different than what I had expected. I really liked the chapter "How to tell a True War Story".It was a bit surprising that the chapter was titled "How to Tell a True War Story" but it wasn't even about a war story. I also didn't know much about Vietnam. I learned a lot from this class due to reading the book and asking around people who lived during the war era.
ReplyDeleteI liked the chapter you liked as well. It wasn't my favorite, but I think it helped with explaining why all of the war stories are how they are and what evaluations to make of them.
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