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The Things They Carried Fear Analysis

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Have you ever been scared? A type of fear that is life threatening? This is the type of fear many soldiers felt in the Vietnam war. Including the squad members that were in Tim O'Brien's novel ¨ The Things They Carried.¨ The theme of Tim O'Brien's book is that soldiers are stuck with the fear of not only dying but of being seen as weak by Family,friends and fellow squad members. The members of the team often noticed that the war wasn't always physical but a mental war in a lot of different ways. In the book there is a chapter tiled ¨the rainy river.¨ This is one of the prime examples of the fear that I mentioned earlier. In this chapter the author, Tim O'Brien, found himself in a position that would change his life forever. A decision that …show more content…

It all started when he passes out on the way to the dentist because he is scared. Later that night he decides to go back and have a tooth pulled out to show that he is brave and not scared. After he forces the dentist to pull his tooth he keeps it and shows his squad members to prove that he isn't afraid and is willing to fight. A third example of the theme in the book talks about squad member Norman Bowker. Before he left for war his father told him to come home with all possible metals. Norman knew this would be difficult, and feared disappointing his father. He fought through the fear and received almost every possible medal except one. Ever since he was never the same. He felt that he disappointed his father and that he would be looked down upon him for it. One day he drove around a lake thousands of times thinking of how or what he could of done to achieve his father's goals. After a while living through life Norman couldn't take the pain and fear. So he decided that the world would be better off without him, and he hung himself. As you can see this novel is full of theme. Most of the book revolves around fear and what others think about other people. At the end it is important to believe in what you think and not what others think. Also, to achieve your own success and not to fill other's dreams and

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