The Things They Carried Vietnam War Tim O’Brien

The Sergeant’s Private Madhouse Spanish-American War

Stephen Crane

WarJack London

War Theme StudyAsha Paul

Fear• Fear of Death• Fear of Being a Coward• Fear of the Enemy

• Results in– Paranoia– Anxiety– Frustration– Emotional Stress

Why Fear?Very Young

Face to Face with DeathDangers Everywhere

“He might have sat on his horse with the careless grace of his youth

had he not been so catlike and tense” (London)

“It had nothing to do with morality. Embarrassment, that’s all it was”

(O’Brien 59)

“You’re never more alive

than when you’re almost

dead” (O’Brien 81)

Loneliness• Longing for a companion• On lookout in pitch darkness

• Fear of leaving someone behind: soldiers choose not to make relationships

• Abandoned family and friends for a whole new life at war

“He was appalled by his own loneliness” (London)

Wilderness• Peace in the Wild• Chance for Reflection• Soldiers have conversations with nature• The Woods Mean Safety and Hiding

Symbolizes a Good Friend

Mysterious and Strange PhenomenaAnimals, Trees, Grass Speaking to the Characters

Random Singing Ends a Battle Scout Does Not Shoot the Ginger Beard Man

The soldiers are affected psychologically by the war This mean peculiar occurrences

“Both sides took a spell of meditation” (Crane)