The novel, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a contradiction in itself and still
provides a reader with insight into life and the way people should conduct their lives. O’Brien’s
intentional structure of the short stories he integrates together gives the book newfound meaning
and understanding to every reader. O’Brien’s careful choice in the structure and the morals it
teaches allows a reader to understand the book is not in fact a war story; Rather, a commentary
on how one should live their life and the utter uselessness of the inane fighting these boys must
do in war.
This is highlighted throughout a few moments in the novel. First it is seen when O’Brien
is explaining his views on war. He states, “There is no rectitude whatsoever” (43). He states any
true war story does not have any morals, a quality that he believes is likewise in war itself.
However, this book presents several lessons quite bluntly and straightforward. Mitchell Sanders
says to O’Brien “death sucks” (156) but with sudden wisdom and newfound meaning. He’s
realized the pointlessness of the war they are fighting and how precious life truly is. In this
moment, Sanders feels enlightened and is trying to share his knowledge with the world that death
is truly meaningless. When and if he dies nothing truly happens, nothing changes, everyone else
continues to live just as meaninglessly as they did before. At this point a reader realizes the true
moral of the book is to value everyone’s life and to remember those who have fallen. O’Brien
mentions this when he is illustrating the ways the soldiers coped with such loss surrounding
them. O’Brien states, “we kept the dead alive with stories” (153) refering to Ted Lavender and
Kiowa. The soldiers honored them by remembering them. In that way their fallen soldiers were
immortalized in writing. This is once again illustrated when Linda explains to O’Brien, “I’m not
dead. But when I am, it’s like… being inside a book that nobody’s reading” (157). She is alive
when she is being remembered. When she’s not remembered she is not dead, she is merely
waiting to be remembered once again.
To some readers, this book may seem like a simple war story. To others, it can be seen as
a deeply profound story about living when surrounded by pain and loss and learning that happens
to take place during a war. It holds themes of holding on to lost friends and remembering them
forever and teaches a reader to hold more value in their own life. Most importantly, it teaches to
attempt to live the best life one can. As Linda sagaciously states. “Once you’re alive… you can’t
ever be dead” (157).