Eng 299 Reading Response #7: The Things They Carried

Yet again, another book that I have heard of for years, meant to read and just never got around to. I have never been a fan of war novels, or movies, or even games, but this was excellent. Over and over we hear how terrible the Vietnam War was, and how horrific the actions of people were during it. I remember teachers in middle school who were veterans of the war who to this day will still not discuss it with students. Or how we were forbidden from dressing up in gory outfits on Halloween because it disturbed too many of our vet instructors. I think what disturbs me the most about O’Brien’s stories are the language he uses to tell them. I want them to sound ugly, and yet he manages to tell us about the horrific deaths of men and animals in such beautiful language that it makes it seem all the worse. You have to admire anyone who can find the strength to examine their dark memories with such an artistic lens.