The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brian is unlike any other war novel we have read so far. It talks about war as little anecdotes, each story different than the last. I enjoy how O’Brian writes because it feels the most genuine to me. As humans, we don’t tell stories fluidly or without inturuption. We often remember certain memories about events rather than the entire event from start to finish. We remember the things that stand out to us. This is how the novel is structured.
O’Brian writes the way a person would speak-with run-on sentences and short, abrupt sentences being intertwined. You feel as though someone is telling you the story and sharing an experience with the reader rather than just writing down facts and events.
The story I enjoyed the most was “Love”. It reminded me of one of my favorite books, The Great Gatsby. Both contain characters that went off to war and had to deal with the ones they loved moving on in their absence. Ever since I read The Great Gatsby this conflict always seemed interesting to me. On one hand, it’s unfair to the soldier who is off fighting for our country. On the other, it is unfair to the loved one who deserves to live a happy life. Both of these characters share the idea that time will bring their loved ones back, an example of which is shown when Jimmy says, “There’s always hope, right?”
I like your comment about O'Brien's story-telling style. That's how I feel when I read his short stories as well. I feel like someone is actually telling me one story after another. It's hard to stop reading when the stories just catch your attention. I also like the fact that his stories are short yet they are interconnected. It's easier to read that way.
ReplyDeleteAbout the story "Love", I don't really think Martha has ever loved him. In "The Things They Carried," Lieutenant Cross mentions that she signs the letter "love" but he knows that she doesn't really love him and that she's probably be with someone at that moment. His "love" towards Martha is more like an obsession of a young adult. Martha's feelings are harder to explain since the author doesn't talk much about her. I think that she likes Cross like a friend but she, somehow, resents him for participating in the Vietnam War.
I really liked the story "Love" as well because I think I finally understood why Mary didn't love him and we see that Cross finally comes to terms with it too. Although he's still a human and at the end tell O'Brien that maybe Mary will read the story and coming begging, he realizes fully that she does not love him and never will. I also liked O'Brien way of storytelling because I always say nothing is ever linear in life even our thoughts, so I like that he tells the stories as if someone was actually talking to you!
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