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Thea De Guzman
M. Martino
AP Language and Composition
27 March 2012
The Things They Carried
From most political point of view, the Vietnam War is seen as a necessary solution for
disputes between countries but for most soldiers who served in Vietnam War, it represented the
way to one’s death. To understand a war, a person must experience it. The fear of war, a person
must be in a position to kill or die. These men in the Vietnam War experienced horrifying
situations in which there were no routes to escape, and there was no certainty as to whether or
not they would live to see the next day. In The Things They Carried, O’Brien explains how the
Vietnam War changes men due to the traumatizing events that occurred. The circumstances they
face greatly trouble them and force them to deal with extraordinary levels of fear and stress. War
is the reason why soldiers are never the same after they return home from battle.
After long bloody battles, the Vietnam War reached its end. The moment soldiers take a
step in the peaceful society; their lives begin to crumble as they try to reconnect with the people.
In The Things They Carried, O’Brien tells a story about Norman Bowker, a soldier who comes
home to a life in which he cannot adjust or move forward from the war. Norman Bowker cannot
live a day without thinking of the death of his friend Kiowa. He constantly thinks about what he
could have done to save Kiowa. Due to his experiences from the war, he cannot move forward in
life because of the guilt he feels. His humanity and spirit never recover. The war not only
destroys the human spirit but also lead to isolation. Bowker chooses to end his life rather than
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start new somewhere else in society since he is not able to adapt to his old life. O’Brien’s use of
the story shows the significance to how war experience changes men
People who experience war usually change the way they act. Their experiences changed
their human spirit. Mary Anne Bell, from “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” is a young woman
who changes from a girly, blond woman to a boyish soldier. From spending time at an aid
station, Mary Anne Bell begins to change as she participates in the war. In the end of the story,
Rat Kiley describes her as a woman who traps herself in the war and never wants to go back
home. She holds on to the war like it is her need and her only life that she knows how to live.
Due to her dramatic change in the end, Rat Kiley describes her change by saying “she wanted
more, she wanted to penetrate deeper into the mystery of herself, and after a time the wanting
became needing, which turned then to craving” (109). Through the circumstance that Mary Anne
Bell experiences shows how being in the war changes and can affect a person’s human spirit.
Furthermore, choices in the war can lead to either a disastrous event in which people die
or to a successful battle. As for Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, his choices for his team to sleep at a
“shit field” leads to the death of Kiowa. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross changes through his
experiences. As he leads his men, he continues to make tough decision for them because it is his
duty. In addition, once he loses a man, he cannot help but feel guilty and ashamed. As much as
he wants to blame the land, the war, or the country like his men, Lieutenant Cross can only go
back to what he could have done to prevent Kiowa from dying. He cannot find the courage to
explain to Kiowa’s father about the death of Kiowa. All Lieutenant could do is remember
Kiowa’s face. It is always tough to lose a soldier and tougher to lose a friend.
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War is a place to prove justice and purpose for a country; however, having a war can lead
to death or traumatized soldiers. Soldiers are the ones who see the bloody battles and are those
who have to live with the memories till they die. These experiences they face are the reasons to
why some soldiers suffer even after the war. Their humanity is changed and their spirits are
broken because of what they have seen. Through the stories of Tim O’Brien, one can say that the
Vietnam War was a horrifying experience for the soldiers who fought. Many died in vein but
there are those who died not knowing what they fought for. Soldiers suffered and changed due to
their experiences in the war.