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Tim O 'Brien's Short Story' Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?

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The short story, “Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?” was about a boy who went to war and was scared to death about it. There are many reasons to be scared when you go into war. You could get shot, step on a bomb, or you could die of diseases. Tim O’Brien explained how war was terrifying, emotional and how accidents could easily happen in his story about war in “Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?”.
Tim O’Brien explained how war was terrifying; therefore it was so terrifying that the soldiers just wanted to get to sea. They wanted to get to the sea because that was the only safe place. War is terrifying because you never know what you’re about to run into, nevertheless you never know when you're about to get shot. You never know what’s around the corner in front. You never know when an ambush of people is about to jump out of tree’s and attack …show more content…

You are a long ways away from your family. You may never get to see them again. Just thinking of these thoughts would make you want to cry. What would you do if the person beside you, your brother was shot and died right in your arms? That is how emotional war is. You can't mentally prepare for what you’re about to see, you just can’t. “Billy Boy got scared and started crying and said he was about to die” (202). As in the quote, you just can prepare because you never will know what will happen.
Tim O’Brien wrote in the book on how accidents can happen in war. Accidents can take away a person's life in war. Just because it was an accident doesn’t effect on what happens. Sometimes when you ambush your enemies you might accidentally shoot your man, But just because that was an accident does mean that it will bring back your brother. “Billy Boy stepped on the mine, and how it made a tiny little sound-poof-and how Billy Boy Stood there with his mouth wide open, looking down at where his foot had been blown off” (202). That quote right shows that anything can happen in war, even at the least expected

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