War and Peaceful Fables :: Stories War Peace Essays

War and Peaceful Fables War stories, fantasy stories, sci-fi and simplistic fable stories, the list trails on like fans behind a famous actor. From books or movies to computer games and music videos, the element of story penetrates a broad array of interests; the public longs for engaging stories and seeks them in any form they can. Keeping this in mind, please do not be shocked when I state that gruesome war stories and simple fables are, in principle, one in the same. Of course, I dont deny that one form of story may be more preferable for readers. However, we can know that the meaning of story (a written work that shows character and the motivations that spring from it) puts such extremely different stories and genres on the same plane. In The Things They Carried, Tim OBriens mastery of the concept of character comes through to us clearly. He portrays Lieutenant Jimmy Crosss inner struggles and unpredictable actions in such a way that we can identify with himeven though the lieutenants character comes out under the stress of war, and ours may not. Just like many an average person, Lieutenant Cross adds to his burden, physical and mental, by carrying pictures and letters from his love, Martha. He knows she really doesnt love him, but, from the pressure of war, he turns by default to the comfort of his far away love, countering the harsh reality. The second sentence of the selection of The Things They Carried begins with, They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping (706). This quote shows what the letters meant to Cross, and why he carried them. He and the other men cling to material things in this mannerwhether it be love or dope, tranquilizers or too much ammunition, or even slingshots and comic book s. Doesnt this seem a silly thing for soldiers to do? Maybe. But their reactions to war are certainly realistic. OBrien continues to expand character throughout the piece. In the lieutenants mind, the pressure and even pointlessness of war grows with its morbidity and loss. But it was not a battle, just an endless march without purpose (713). OBrien continues this prose with revealing that the men would often discard things. Purely for comfort they would throw away rations (713). But no matter how they discarded the objects that they needed physically, it was so difficult to shed the emotional weight They carried all the baggage of men who might die (716).