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Megan Dawe
ENGL 347
Prof. C. Wriglesworth
December 8, 2014
Cosmological Elements in The Things They Carried
“Good stories somehow have to do with an awakening into a new world, something new
and true, where someone is jolted out of a kind of complacency and forced to confront a new set
of circumstances or a new self” (Kaplan 99). This quote from Tim O’Brien in an interview with
Steven Kaplan, speaks volumes about the endless mysteries of the world, something new always
waiting to be discovered or rediscovered by human kind. People are not capable of knowing
everything, and with each new set of truths absorbed, their concept of the world and their own
place in it shifts and evolves. Tim O’Brien’s novel The Things They Carried uses cosmological
references to emphasize this contradictory nature of truth, how something can be both known
and unknown simultaneously but each still is true. This is seen through the unique presentation
of stars and allusions to their nature, including their potential to explode and to orbit other stars
and planets.
Stars are a familiar presence in human lives, and yet they still are a mystery. “No one
knows how many stars exist, but the number would be staggering” (Stars), and even then they
are not fully understood, they could do the unexpected at any moment. Tim O’Brien takes this
idea and uses stars throughout his novel in unexpected places, to foster new experiences and
notions surrounding them, while paying into their familiarity. The most prominent instance of
this appears in the chapter “The Man I Killed” where the narrator Tim O’Brien describes the
death of an enemy soldier at his hands: “His one eye was shut, his other eye was a star-shaped
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hole” (O’Brien 118). Tim is used to seeing stars, but never in such a bizarre way, suddenly it is
no longer a bright light in the sky but a dark hole in a dead man’s face. The wound is so
prominent on the man’s face that it becomes Tim’s sole focus, the element constantly repeated
throughout the passage as he tries to come to terms both with what he sees and with what he has
done. A star’s “brightness is a factor of how much energy they put out, which is called their
luminosity, and also how far away from Earth they are” (Stars). This highlights the lack of life in
the man, and how his brightness, that is his soul, has departed from his body as a star, leaving
behind the hole in his wake. Tim also describes, “the star-shaped hole [as] red and yellow”
(O’Brien 120), emphasizing the star-like qualities of the man. Red hues are indicative of cooler
stars (Stars), and thus are an indicator of the man’s deceased state and his distance from Tim in
the realm of the living. The man takes on the celestial qualities of the shape itself, returning to
space to live among the stars, becoming part of the other, and thus something Tim struggles to
identify with. Hence, though stars truly exist in the sky, they can just as easily be on earth in a
completely different and unfamiliar way; they are not always what they seem.
As part of the unknown, the man gains power over those he leaves behind, such as Tim,
who now carries the guilt of the man’s death. Any chance of Tim identifying with the fallen
soldier disappears through the star, making it more difficult for Tim to justify his actions, and his
role in the war. After the explosion Tim is repeatedly instructed to “stop staring” (O’Brien 122)
at the man’s body. The word “star” appears in the word “staring” emphasizing the cosmological
nature of both the soldier’s injury and Tim’s awe in witnessing it. Just as one gazes up at the
stars, Tim continuously stares at the man’s face. Its distinctive shape pulls Tim in, holds his gaze,
and forces him to contemplate his actions and the war itself. This “reflect[s] the difficult choices
forced upon those who have confronted the contradictions of combat: ‘There is no clarity.
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Everything swirls. The old rules are no longer binding, the old truths no longer true. Right spills
into wrong’” (Chen 79). As with gazing upon a star, staring into the wound causes Tim to
question his perspective of the world as well as his role in it. Suddenly, killing the “enemy” does
not seem like the right thing to do. No matter how much his friend insists they move on, Tim no
longer understands the need to continue fighting; the point of the war becomes blurred. The more
Tim stares at the man, the more information surfaces about the soldier’s life before the war, and
the more similarities appear between them. Just as Tim had doubts about joining the war, Tim
imagines the soldier’s as well: “He would have been taught that to defend the land was a man’s
highest duty and highest privilege. […] Secretly, though, it also frightened him. He was not a
fighter” (O’Brien 119). Tim sees himself in the soldier, knowing their roles could easily have
been reversed; the line between friend and foe is not as clear as he is led to believe, making the
war itself and its purpose more ambiguous.
This ambiguity calls into question the truth and familiarity surrounding the very stars Tim
fights for, “The Stars and Stripes” of the American flag. Tim is forced to join the war effort, to
fight against the evil of communism and protect the American people. He knows what war
means; he hears stories from previous wars, but when faced with the actual killing of the
supposed ‘enemy’ the reason behind the fighting no longer seems acceptable. This ripped and
distorted image of the American fight is highlighted further by its appearance on the battlefield.
At the start of the novel, a detailed list of the things the soldiers carry through Vietnam is
outlined, and among them is “The Stars and Stripes” (O’Brien 13). As on many journeys, some
items need to be left behind, and others picked up, as priorities shift and things get heavier. The
death of the soldier, who literally drops to the ground, is symbolic of Tim’s lost faith in the
American flag and all it stands for: “The left cheek was peeled back in three ragged strips”
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(O’Brien 122). When paired with the image of the star-shaped hole, the strips appear to form a
distorted, condensed image of the flag. It is physically smaller and in Tim’s mind, its power no
longer as inspiring and weighty as it used to be. The holes in this image of the flag reflect the
holes beginning to appear in Tim’s own mind and images of the flag, and his connection to the
American cause diminishes with it. As a member of the US army Tim is also seen as a star
himself, a star on the flag of the army. This emphasizes the blurred lines between friend and foe,
as the appearance of the star on the dead soldier grafts him into the US army; Tim could have
easily killed one of his own with his grenade, and in a way this image shows he does, another
innocent kid just like him. That is the truth of his actions; though he killed an enemy, he also
killed a friend, emphasizing the contradictory nature of truth behind the war and Tim's national
identity.
The concept of stars as a reference to military medals in The Things They Carried also
brings forth the mutually exclusive relationship of knowing and unknowing, and the
contradictory nature of truth. Within the first chapter, among the list of things the soldiers carry
are “Bronze Stars” (O’Brien 14). The Bronze Star is a medal awarded by the US Military to
honour “heroic or meritorious achievement or service, not involving aerial flight, while engaged
in combat against an enemy or while serving in combat with friendly foreign forces” (About the
Medals). Its appearance at the start is a great indicator of the bravery and honour among this
group of soldiers. Though it does not outline who has earned one, it is a common occurrence
based on the plurality of the term. They are praised for their fight against the enemy, a fight Tim
is no longer sure is honourable. His fellow soldiers praise Tim that he did the right thing, but he
questions whether it is worthy of that praise, even medal worthy as he does net feel honourable.
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This idea reappears in the chapter “Speaking of Courage” about Norman Bowker and
“how he’d almost won the Sliver Star for valor” (O’Brien 134). Bowker is obsessed with his
almost winning this particular medal; somehow it is more important than the Bronze Star and the
six other medals he does have. Though a tad more prestigious and uncommon, the criteria for
earning a Silver Star, does not differ much from the Bronze Star: “the Silver Star calls for
‘gallantry in action while engaged in combat against an enemy or while serving in combat with
friendly foreign forces’” (About the Medals). Both represent courageous behaviour on the
battlefield, though one is more distinguished than the other is. Bowker believes winning the
medal would make his role in the war more worthwhile, would display his courage. Thus, his
lack of one means he is not brave and reflects his failure to save a fellow soldier, the action that
he claims would have earned him the Silver Star. However, a medal is not the only symbol of
courage, though it is made to seem that way, as Bowker’s father illustrates: “Many brave men do
not win medals for their bravery, and others win medals for doing nothing” (O’Brien 135).
Perhaps his lack of a medal is a symbol of his bravery, he fought and has returned, which itself is
an act of bravery. His efforts to save the soldier and join the war appear unappreciated and
uninspiring, but though he is called to war, it is his choice to answer that call. These acts are just
as important as any act capable of winning a Silver Star, just as some stars are bigger and
brighter than others are, but each has a role to play in the universe; even the smallest shift or
absence can cause great ripple effects. Awarding medals for exemplary acts, deemed more
worthy than others, contradicts the simple bravery associated with joining the war effort that is
advertised, and trying to save someone. Truthfully, people must go above and beyond to be
honoured, an unknown catch that goes undisclosed until it is too late. The effort is only
recognized if one succeeds, not for trying one’s hardest and still failing.
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This notion of stars being representative of medals of honour, following the chapter
entitled “The Man I Killed,” further emphasizes the ambiguity between oneself and the enemy
during battle. The man Tim killed is wearing a star much like a distinguished soldier does, albeit
in a different location. The presence of this specific shape of wound is indicative of the man’s
honourable service. It is neither bronze nor silver, making the degree of that honour difficult to
determine, by US military standards. As Tim stares at the star-shaped hole colour begins to
appear, red and yellow as mentioned previously, but “the yellow part seemed to be getting wider,
spreading out at the center of the star” (O’Brien 120). Yellow is often used synonymously with
gold, the colour that completes the elemental hierarchy of bronze, silver, and gold, often used to
signal degrees of achievement. Interestingly enough, these three elements appear in this order on
the periodic table and “is simply a function of their rarity relative to one another, which is caused
by crazy stuff that happened billions of years ago inside a now long-dead star!” (Bishop). The
elements on the table are byproducts of reactions that took place inside a star over five billion
years ago, each new element releasing less energy until the star could not produce anymore and
died, causing some elements to be more abundant than others (Bishop). Thus, the slain soldier
holds the highest medal of honour, the gold representative of his great valor and his rarity. He is
special; like the star billions of years ago, he sets into motion the formation of new elements
(emotions/ thoughts) inside Tim’s brain despite dying in the process. Though he does not have a
physical medal, or is officially awarded one, the man is still given that symbol of honour, one
even more distinguished than the others are despite being labelled the enemy. Thus, the lack of a
medal is just as telling of honour as the receiving of a medal, though the opposite is also true;
there are always two sides, but that does not make one less true than the other.
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In addition, stars and cosmological elements are not simply presented from new
perspectives, but take on the extreme qualities of these elements as well. Generally, stars shed
their outer layers and “cool for billions of years, until they eventually go dark and produce no
energy” (Stars), but sometimes a “few stars eschew this evolutionary path and instead go out
with a bang—detonating as supernovae” (Stars). The latter is surprisingly common in The Things
They Carried, each explosion with its own specific consequences. The first instance of a star-like
explosion is the death of Curt Lemon: “When he died it was almost beautiful, the way the
sunlight came around him and lifted up and sucked him high into a tree full of moss and vines
and white blossoms” (O’Brien 67). This idea of exploding light and floating into space is very
much like a star’s transformation into a supernova. “A supernova can light the sky up for weeks,
and the massive transfer of matter and energy leaves behind a very different star” (Supernovas).
Curt dies in a bright light and is blown apart into pieces that Tim and the other soldiers have to
climb up and remove. Much like the man Tim killed, Curt’s light disappears, and his soul
becomes part of the unknown, his essence floating somewhere in the great beyond in the sky, and
his physical body floating among the tree blossoms as if debris from a supernova, leaving behind
a very different version of Curt Lemon his fellow soldiers must now cope with. Curt is no longer
identifiable as their comrade, making it harder for his fellow soldiers to treat his death seriously,
and fully accept the consequences of their choice to join the war. He is in pieces but he is also
whole; both cannot be true simultaneously but amazingly, they are.
The death of the Vietnamese soldier is also an instance of a star-like explosion, though
rather than resulting in a supernova, it results in a black hole. Black holes suck objects close to
them into themselves with their strong gravitational pull, and when the objects “reach a point of
no return they are said to have entered the event horizon—the point from which any escape is
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impossible” (Black Holes). The star-shaped hole on the man’s face takes on these qualities,
pulling in Tim’s gaze and refusing to let go. He is immobilized physically and emotionally
because of the star-shaped hole’s power over him, forcing him to confront the consequences of
his actions. Tim attempts to reason with himself, going over the events in different ways to see if
there was another possible outcome, despite his friends assertion that, “‘The guy was dead the
second he stepped on the trail. Understand me? We all had him zeroed’” (O’Brien 123). He is
trapped in the hole, his actions and the man’s death becoming part of his identity and something
he must always carry. Black holes are small but powerful, capable of causing mass destruction
absorbing more and growing in size, leaving a hole in the universe. Similarly, the man’s wound,
leaves both a hole in the Vietnamese army, and shatters Tim’s sense of reality regarding what is
right and wrong. What he thought was true is destroyed in that moment, resulting in Tim
becoming a black hole, placing those around him in danger as well, pulling them into his own
destruction. Additionally, “because they are so small, distant, and dark, black holes cannot be
directly observed” (Black Holes), much like the hole in Tim’s perspective of the world is
unobservable by those around him, though just because it remains unseen does not mean it is not
occurring. This sentiment is very telling of the duality of truth and its double-sidedness. There is
always another side waiting to be uncovered, with the power to alter one’s perspective and show
them a new truth, especially in ambiguous events such as war. Nothing is ever simply black and
white; something is always brewing under the surface if one is able to look deep enough.
Lastly, elements of O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, exhibit the orbital nature of
cosmological and celestial objects, characters being stuck in constant and almost endless cycles.
Stars often exist in binary systems, either orbiting each other, or resulting in planets orbiting
them, as Earth does with the sun (Stars). The star-shaped hole in the man’s face becomes the sun,
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Tim the Earth, constantly repeating the phrase, approaching it from every angle, just as the Earth
does with the sun. Each time he repeats it, Tim relives and re-remembers it in a new way trying
to validate and understand his actions, much as each revolution around the sun results in a new
day on Earth. Tim struggles to continue and stop staring because of this constant orbit; without
the star’s gravity pulling him in, he is afraid he will fall apart and cease to exist. The wound, as a
dead and destroyed star, wipes out Tim’s life, altering it, changing him forever, as the sun’s
demise would to the planet and the rest of the solar system. However, though his past life is
gone, Tim is able to begin a new life, with a new perspective of good and evil because of this
experience. Thus, though the star-shaped hole and the sun are destroyers, they are also givers of
life; both descriptions are true though they are opposites of each other. Additionally, though the
term ‘orbit’ can be used to describe the course of a celestial object such as a star, it can also be
defined as “The bony recess of the vertebrate skull that contains the eye and its associated
structures; the eye socket” (OED). The star-shaped wound is exactly where the man’s eye should
be, a fact, which Tim always returns to each time he mentions the man he killed, regardless of
the context. It is the defining feature, constantly drawing him back; it is the gravitational centre
he orbits around and cannot remove his mind from in an attempt to keep the man alive in his
memory. This subsequent definition is not as common, and unknown by most people, but still
holds true, and provides greater emphasis to the duality that exists in the world.
Being stuck in orbit around a cosmological element is also seen in the chapter “Speaking
of Courage” surrounding Norman Bowker’s return home. It is Independence Day, July 4th, and
“Norman Bowker followed the tar road on its seven-mile loop around the lake then he started all
over again” (O’Brien 131), awaiting the firework display above the lake. Like Tim, Norman
Bowker, while physically circling, is also mentally circling the events of the war when he fails to
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save a fellow soldier and win a Silver Star for valor. Both men repeatedly remember when their
actions resulted in another person’s death, attempting to rationalize their actions and imagine if
things would have been different had they acted another way. However, Norman’s orbit around
the lake is unique. Each time he circles the lake he describes what is actually happening – what
other people at the lake are doing – and what “would have” been happening: “If Sally had not
been married, or if his father were not such a baseball fan, it would have been a good time to
talk”(O’Brien 134). Norman blurs the lines between reality and daydream, constantly switching
back and forth between what he is truly seeing and what he is imagining would be happening if
he was able to talk about the war. The more he circles the harder it becomes to tell the difference.
It is a coping mechanism for him, though it is simultaneously destructive, eventually driving him
to commit suicide. In imagining both the known and the unknown, Norman is confronted with
truth’s contradictory nature; everything he witnesses or imagines is true and real in its own way,
despite that they may be opposites. It is a reality hard for people to comprehend because they are
so accustomed and conditioned to believe in binaries.
In conclusion, Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried uniquely presents the
contradictory nature of truth through the use of cosmological elements such as stars, explosions,
black holes, and orbits. Both the characters themselves and their actions embody the qualities of
these celestial elements to emphasize their lasting effects and dual nature, that is their ability to
represent opposite ends of a binary, neither being more true than the other, as well as their ability
to make an action so straightforward as war, ambiguous. No instance is simply black and white;
there are a thousand sides to every story, each just as true as the last though they may contradict
each other. It is up to human kind to decide which they agree with.
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<http://www.oed.com/>.
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