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Short Story 'The Dentist By Tim O' Brien

395 Words2 Pages

In the short story “The Dentist” from the collection of stories called The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien depicts how the fine line between courage and cowardice can be crossed for the sake of one’s ego and pride. The short story begins with the narrator, Tim O'Brien, saying “When Curt Lemon was killed, I found it hard to mourn” (86) One expects O’ Brien to mourn for his fallen comrade, but instead he seems unbothered by his death. The narrator’s perspective on Lemon is clearly damaged and as the short story unfolds, it becomes clear why. Tim O’Brien tells of how Curt Lemon “played the tough soldier role” (86) and was always trying to have an uber-masculine personality. Curt Lemon exaggerates and hyperbolizes all of the stories he tells

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