OBrien and Fossie in The Things They Carried Essay

When many think of a great, memorable story, they will probably remember an inspirational or coming of age novel, or Bildungsroman. In many ways, The Things They Carried is an exemplary Bildungsroman as it carries the reader through the lives and problems of every soldier within its pages. Each man is witnessed as he goes through his own maturation and personal times of struggle and hardships. Some are focused on more than others, but each man has a story to tell, each a moral to teach. Throughout The Things They Carried, both Tim O?Brien and Mark Fossie experience a significant amount of personal maturation by gaining new knowledge about themselves, the Vietnam War, and the world around them. There are very few times when a person goes†¦show more content†¦When O?Brien is shot and calls for Bobby Jorgenson to come to his aid, he realizes that Jorgenson is too afraid to help his fellow soldiers out. O?Brien writes that he then felt a deep hatred for Jorgenson and wants to ge t him back. On the brink of a maniacal outburst against the new medic, O?Brien writes, ?I?d come to this war a quiet, thoughtful sort of person?, but after seven months in the bush I realized that those high, civilized trappings had somehow been crushed under the weight of the simple daily realities. I?d turned mean inside? (200). Here, O?Brien conveys to the reader that Vietnam had taken over nearly his entire body and personality, causing him to transform into an unrelenting, savage being. O?Brien learned that wars can change people, as the Vietnam War changed him. When Mark Fossie realizes that Mary Anne, along with the six Green Berets, has gone off into the jungles the previous night, he learns that the Vietnam War is a merciless trap that can take anybody or anything and transform it into something unrecognizable. He learns that the war has the power to completely change even somebody like his sweet girlfriend, Mary Anne. This insight causes Fossie to feel sorrow. ?The grief t ook (Fossie) by the throat and squeezed and would not let go? (105). Gaining common knowledge is one thing, but learning about the world and its contents during a single time frameShow MoreRelatedWounds Endured in The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien 704 Words   |  3 Pages Tim O’Brien brings the Vietnam War back to life in The Things They Carried (1990) and elucidates the wounds suffered by soldiers during and after the war. The three main characters in this novel that exemplify the physical, social, and emotional wounds are Tim O’Brien, Norman Bowker, and Mark Fossie. These men go through immense pain both during and after the war, which is not easy to heal. 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