The Concept Of Death In The Things They Carried
By Dilara Eynula
As a novel that centers on the lives of American soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War, The Things They Carried is a text that is very concerned with the concept and reality of death. Throughout the novel, several of the characters that the author Tim O’Brien introduces to the reader end up passing away: some die as direct cause of combat in the war, others die because of preventable accidents, and still others commit suicide years after the war had ended. But despite the differences in their manners of death, all the characters shared in common the fact that their deaths were brutal and sickening affairs. In the last chapter titled “Lives of the Dead”, however, ...
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was blown apart by an exploding smoke bomb, and Kiowa, who drowned in a sewage field, were very dismal and unceremonious – both died as result of avoidable mistakes, neither death heroic nor glorious. Their deaths mirror the ones of several other characters as well – Lee Strunk, for example, who dies after having his leg blown off by a mine while continuously begging for his life, and Norman Bowker, who, in his depression upon his return from war, hangs himself in a gym locker room. These instances of messy, revolting death that are in accordance with O’Brien’s center differ greatly from Linda’s own calm, passive death. Unlike a number of the soldiers, Linda’s character does not instigate the causes of her own death - she did not sign up to be a soldier, did not live in a war zone, or carry guns and ammunition. Instead, she died because of inescapable natural causes that nobody had any degree of control over. Linda did not die a meaningless, easily preventable death, and in part, ...
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of the reason why the interruption of O’Brien’s center is effective, because Linda’s positive outlook on life and death differs from the fear and guilt that is often associated with death throughout the course of the novel. She does not seem to feel sorry for herself, and she even asserts that “[being dead] is not so bad. I mean, when you’re dead, you just have to be yourself.” (232). She goes on to further discuss what death feels like, and says “When I am [dead], it’s like… being inside a library book that nobody’s reading… up on a library shelf, so you’re safe and everything.” (232) Linda’s entire demeanor, as well as her perspective and her actions, suggest a person who has come to ...
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"The Concept Of Death In The Things They Carried." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 15 Mar. 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Concept-Death-Things-They-Carried/96132>
"The Concept Of Death In The Things They Carried." Essayworld.com. March 15, 2011. Accessed April 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Concept-Death-Things-They-Carried/96132.
"The Concept Of Death In The Things They Carried." Essayworld.com. March 15, 2011. Accessed April 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Concept-Death-Things-They-Carried/96132.
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