Effects of War in The Things They Carried
Several characters in The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien are dramatically changed throughout their development in the novel. ... All of the soldiers in Viet Nam were changed, which is to an extent true, none were left unmarred, but the effects on the average soldier were not as drastic as they were Mary Anne, most of the soldiers assimilated into society without significant problems. ... ” When regarding a war this idea can be interpreted quite literally because the men were facing a life and death situation. ... The themes of the effects of war on soldiers or the loss of innocence, which are closely related in this novel, recur throughout this work. ... Through O’Brien’s use of elements such as tone, imagery and point of view, the characters come to life as embodiments of Viet Nam soldiers that returned from the war as completely different people. ... A great number of people returned from the war unable to integrate into society. The described veterans concurrently with Norman Bowker, returned from the war lacking any direction or significance to their lives and either were depressed, or ended up dead, which was the case of Bowker. ... He speaks of letting down his father by not receiving a medal and the multitude of pointless jobs that he had after the war. ... Bowker represents a kind of dependency on war or violence. During the war, the men stumbled on a baby buffalo satisfying their addiction to this dependency “He shot it in the hindquarters and in the little hump at its back. ... The other men had the same need for war, but were able to part with it, something that Norman Bowker could never do.