The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien - 1377 Words

Tyler Nooney Trafford P.6 The Things They Carried Essay The central theme and true meaning of courage is shown vividly in numerous instances throughout Tim O’Brien’s classic novel The Things They Carried. O’Brien’s novel begins with the courage of coming of age, along with the author’s loss of his innocence. Tim, the protagonist of this novel, goes through an incredible change in belief when he must choose to either run away from the Vietnam War or unwillingly join the bloody battle, of which he strongly did not have faith in. The main courageous occurrence that O’Brien was showing the reader was the fear of going to war, and the integrity behind holding ones beliefs and morals in fighting for their country. The Things They Carried shows†¦show more content†¦O’Brien uses explicit details and imagery to illustrate what the experience was like for the terrified men. Although they are sad for the loss of their friend Lavender, and try as hard as they can to be courageous, their major feeling is of relief, mainly because they are still living. Courage is shown in the â€Å"The Things They Carried† with this quote. â€Å"They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor. They died so as not to die of embarrassment.† (p. --) This quotation is O’Brien expressing his reasons for having the courage in going to Vietnam, instead of being a coward. At the same time he is giving the reader a generalization that foreshadows the later several references towards courage and cowardice. â€Å"On the Rainy River† is a story recalled by O’Brien that he states has never told to anyone. â€Å"To go into it, I’ve always thought, would only cause embarrassment for all of us †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 39) By coming out and telling his readers this confession only shows his courage from it in the long run. The story develops the theme of embarrassment as a motivating factor, just as Jimmy Cross feels guilty about Ted Lavender’s death, O’Brien feels guilty about going to