Literary Analysis of 'The Things They Carried' by Tim O'Brien

Many people endure guilt throughout their lives, however not many will ever experience the type of guilt that follows soldiers, especially those who served during the Vietnam War. The novel, The Things They Carry, by Tim O’Brien features many short stories set during the Vietnam War. In many of the stories, O’Brien explores how the war affected men who fought. To illustrate this to the reader, O’Brien uses the death of Kiowa and the response from Norman Bowker seen in chapters “Speaking of Courage” and “Notes”. O’Brien utilized scenes of death throughout the novel to portray how war leaves soldiers with guilt and pain.  

For some men, the guilt of being in the war comes from the lack of courage. O’Brien, in the short story “Speaking of Courage”, tells the story of how Norman Bowker feels responsible for the death of Kiowa.When Norman and Kiowa were stationed in the “shit field” Kiowa began to sink and drown in it and Norman wanted to save him, but he could not. Norman tried to hold on to Kiowa but, overwhelmed by the filthiness of the shit field, “could no longer tolerate it… He released Kiowa’s boot and watched it slide away.” (143) Norman blames himself for the death because he was the one to let Kiowa go. Additionally, Norman believes that if it was not for his cowardice, Kiowa would still be alive. This feeling of having almost saved his friend gives Norman immense guilt. After this moment, Norman feels like he did not live up to his full potential as a soldier, “how he had not been so brave as he wanted to be.” (147) O’Brien points this out to the reader to reveal the pressures that Norman, and many other soldiers, have. Even though Norman worked extremely hard in the war and had been exceedingly brave, it was not suitable for the high standards that were put on him. Subsequently, the guilt that Norman has stems from his feeling of not being good enough and the death of his friend Kiowa serving as a reminder.

After the war, Norman struggles to find purpose in his life again using most of his time driving in circles around the lake in his town. O’Brien mentions a letter that Norman sent to him. In the letter Norman speaks of how he feels after the war. This letter reveals how his life has been impacted by Kiowa’s death, Norman writes,“I sort of sank down into the sewage with him…Feels like I’m still in deep shit.” (150) Norman cannot move forward in his life because of the guilt that he feels so he keeps driving in circles not going anywhere. Norman is also reminded of his failures through the medal that he lacks, the Silver Star. The Silver Star is a reward of uncommon valor for soldiers who showed bravery. When Norman is imagining what he would say to his father about the Silver Star he would say, “I had the chance and I blew it .” (136) referring to a chance to earn the award. Norman believes that he could have earned the star if he saved Kiowa. Therefore, the lack of the Silver Star in Norman's life is a constant reminder to him that he lost his friend and further adds to his guilt.

Through these chapters O’Brien reveals to the reader how the consciences of soldiers are weighed down by the feeling of guilt after war. O’Brien specifically used scenes where a death takes place or scenes where death is talked about to portray this theme to the reader. O’Brien shows the moments where the traumatic events that cause guilt take place and how it affects them in their future lives. The Things They Carried, is a skillfully written novel that displays the hardships the soldiers face.