He decides to go to war because he is ashamed of running from it. “It had nothing to do with mortality. Embarrassment, that's all it was” (O’Brien 59). That same feeling of embarrassment is what made half of the soldiers go to Vietnam. Jimmy Cross went to war only because his friends did, and that led him to danger.
He is the only soldier that seems to be frightened of battle and he seeks companions that have the same beliefs. When Fleming encounters a real battle, he runs from his first battle and spent time isolated. He encountered injured soldiers, and felt isolated because he was not harmed. Although no one questioned the unharmed soldier, Fleming felt guilty and felt that he betrayed his fellow soldiers. Until Fleming returns to battle with is fellow soldiers, he feels isolated.
Jimmy Cross was the leader for the group of soldiers and he carried with him letters and a good luck pebble from a girl named Martha who he loved though. “They were not love letters” (O’Brien 117). But each soldiers also carried different emotions that determined who each one was as a person. All of the soldiers carried death in their mind and they pretended that death was not real and. “They were actors and the war came at them in 3-D” (O’Brien 126).
All of his evidence really points to the Indians being good warriors but not getting the appreciation they deserve after the war is over. He does not give much evidence that is against his thesis, everything seems to point back to his thesis. He is very opinionated with the support that he gives for his thesis. Robert S. Allen really uses his evidence very well to support his thesis. He is always giving more evidence stating that the Indians were not being taken care of unless the British needed them for war.
In another case, Paul is seen trying to save the life of an enemy that he has stabbed, he fails but his efforts shouldn’t be forgotten. His friends refer to him as a hero, and he neglects this title and all the medals. Paul doesn’t like war and what it represents, to him, war is the real evil. The government forcing people into war, without giving them a choice is evil War can easily turn any person into a hero. Corporal Himmelstoss was an average polite postman before being drafted into World War I, not soon after he became a bully.
The culture would make their soldiers very brave and loyal in battle, this was done not by upholding a high standard or praising the soldiers from achievements in battle but by harshly reprimanding them. The soldiers during this era were so immensely afraid of the punishment that would come from deserting the war that they would give their lives to the enemy by risking it all. As shown in the text “Some men who have lost a shield or sword or another part of their arms in battle heedlessly throw themselves against the enemy, hoping either to recover what the lost, or to escape the inevitable disgrace and the insults of their relatives by suffering injury or death” (Hunt et. Al 2009, 154). It was derived from this excerpt, that the soldiers during Polybius’ reign were so scared to be punished or even ridiculed for leaving their post in battle or failing that they would bravely throw themselves into the enemies position to regain their arms or face death.
Guilt and Blame The horrible experiences of guilt strip them of their humanity. Jimmy Cross was a great soldier who felt compelled to keep his soldiers safe at all times. Ted Lavender dies from war but because Jimmy was distracted for a bit, he felt guilty that Ted Lavender died because Jimmy loved Martha so much. He felt that he could have done something to save his life. But because he was distracted he couldn’t do anything.
When his soldier Ted Lavender died all he could do was cry and blame himself for his death, “He felt shame. He hated himself.... this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of war.” (O’Brien, The Things They Carried 42) but he didn’t let that very heart-wrenching emotion of feeling responsible for someone’s death cloud his judgment or cause him to take his job lightly. Towards the end of the story he stepped up, over-coming the guilt he felt after the death of Ted Lavender. Learning from his mistakes and changing the way he lead his platoon “He would not tolerate laxity. He would show strength, distancing himself.” (O’Brien, The Things They Carried 100) He showed courage while seeing the bigger picture telling himself “that his obligation was not to be loved but to lead.” (O’Brien, The Things They Carried 101) Masculinity is very apparent in this platoon.
Paul Baumer, the main character and narrator in All Quiet on the Western Front has been enlisted with his classmates in the German army of World War I. Throughout this novel, the author, Erich Maria Remarque expresses the horrors of war and how Paul’s friends and his life was impacted negatively because of such a bloody, terrifying war experience. Before the war, Paul was a compassionate and sensitive young man who loved his friends and family very much. The war had done horrible things to him and destroyed him both mentally and physically. Paul and his friends experienced death scenes from the ones that stood by them since they stepped foot on the battle field to the ones on the other side.
He did not have a choice and therefore he hated everything about serving other than the friend he made and the good times they shared together. Telling stories is what helps him find peace where there was none to be found. “How to Tell a True War Story” evaluates the relationship between war experience, storytelling, and friendship as a soldier’s insight is manipulated by the Vietnam War. Kiley’s reaction to his best friend Lemon’s death results to a strong representation of cruelty and suffering. “War is nasty; war is fun.