The End:
Well here it is. My last blog post regarding Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. Honestly, I’ve both loved and hated this book. I hate that it’s impossible to tell what really happened. I love that O’Brien expanded his writing so that it could apply to everyone. I love that the story is so raw and real and true. I hate that people had to really experience that. But mostly, I love the idea that this is just a man telling the world a soldier’s story. I love that.
I don’t think I could recommend this book enough to people. It’s definitely meant for a more mature audience, but for those at the necessary level, there is an abundance of lessons to be learned, whether it be the purpose behind storytelling, the power of fear, or the atrocities of war. Even elderly women who, as a rule, hate war stories can gain something (O’Brien 84). Seriously. Everyone.
For me, what really connected was the idea that you don’t have to carry your burdens alone. Not a single one of those soldiers would have made it through the war without the others supporting them. They carried a lot of things, but the most important thing they carried was each other. Tim realizes the importance of this bond when he is transferred to the supply camp. Isolated from his brothers, he becomes a part of the rear. No longer bearing the same burdens, he’s “forfeit[ed] membership in the family, the blood fraternity,” and he absolutely despises it (O’Brien 149). It’s a rather pitiful sight to see him so isolated from the others. Through this separation, he recognizes the value of having others help carry his burdens.
Again, this novel is amazing. There’s a reason it was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. I loved experiencing his story and keeping those soldiers alive. And now, my final comment on this book: “often in a true war story there is not even a point” (O’Brien 82).
: )
Carrying More 