The Things They Carried Book Report

422 Words2 Pages
The Things They Carried Tim O’Brien is protagonist in The Things They Carried. He displays heroic actions throughout all of his war stories from Vietnam. Whether it be when O’Brien was drafted, being in the Vietnamese war, , and even informing others of the harsh, raw, actions that took place while he was serving time in the military. While reading this book some would have considered O’Brien to be a coward for nearly fleeing the states to avoid going to war, but I believe this to be the first definite heroic moment that he had shown. When O’Brien was almost positive on his choice to escape his military fate, or when he was close enough to Canada to realize all he would be giving up and how he wouldn’t be honoring his country proved him not only to be a hero but to be a man. He stood up and faced his fears of the war instead of running from them. Without a doubt any man or woman who serves in the military during any amount of time, for any war, and for our country are obvious heroes. Just the fact that O’Brien was brave enough to risk his life for our freedom makes him a protagonist. Also, all of the men in the story, O’Brien included have to deal with the psychological strain of the war and their own burdens. Some men carry the guilt of killing others, feeling that they didn’t protect their men, their brothers, the other soldiers they were surrounded by while being in this tragic war. Later in life O’Brien has a daughter who not only reads his war stories but could possibly be his toughest critic. Tim symbolizes a hero not only because he opens up to his daughter to show her how he used to live his life but because he doesn’t shield her from the raw truth that was the Vietnamese war. Even though his daughter didn’t agree with what her father had possibly done, O’Brien still wanted her to apprehend the feeling, the overpowering emotion the war brings over

More about The Things They Carried Book Report

Open Document