Sidney Wilson

Contemporary American Literature & Critical

April 14, 2017
The Things They Carried

You ever wondered what it felt like to be in a war? How about the
Vietnam War? You can get a glimpse of this feeling through the novel
The Things They Carried(1990). Tim OBrien is a general in the
Vietnam war. He is not only the narrator but he is also the protagonist
of the story. He uses different narrative elements throughout the
chapters in the novel The Things They Carried, but the most
significant element is point of view. He uses point of view to show the
reader his feelings and experiences from the war. Point of view is also
used when the novel is being told from the third person point of view.
Tim OBrien uses first person many times in the novel. When
talking in first person the narrator is telling you their story. The first
person view gives us the authenticity of being in his shoes. An example
of OBrien using first person is when he discusses when he was shot. In
the novel he says For a long time I lay there all alone, listening to the
battle, thinking Ive been shot, Ive been shot; all those Gene Autry
movies Id seen as a kid. In fact, I almost smiled, except then I started
to think I might die. It was fear, mostly, but I felt wobbly and then I had
a sinking sensation, ears all plugged up as if Id gone deep under
water. This speaks of a personal experience. This tells us of the pain
that he went through when he was shot. It gives us the authenticity of
his experience. If this was told in third person it wouldnt give you as
much detail or be able to give us that personal touch. This narrative
even indulges us into his past experiences. Another example of first
person narrative is when he was with his daughter in Vietnam. He said
I returned with my daughter to Vietnam, where we visited the site of
Kiowas death, and where I looked for signs of forgiveness or personal
grace or whatever else the land might offer. The field was still there,
though not as I remembered it. This first person narrative shows a
place near and dear to OBriens heart. This is giving us a vivid
description of his feelings.
With point of view there are more uses for it besides first person.
It also includes second and third person point of view. You dont really
see the usage of second person in the novel. You do encounter the
usage of third person though. The novel was mainly told in first person
point of view, a third person point of view gave the story a different set
of eyes, as well as feelings. The reader gets to go through the other
characters emotions and feelings. Third person helps distance Tim
OBriens own feelings and memories so they would not give us a
single view of everything going on. In the chapter In the Fields, Tim
OBrien uses third person by showing the readers the scene of when
the soldiers were in the field with the messy rain and mud. The quote
was Right here, the boy was saying. Got to be right here. Jimmy Cross
remembered the kids face but not the name. That happened
sometimes. He tried to treat his men as individuals but sometimes the
names just escaped him. That shows the story being told from
someone else than OBrien. It shows a different experience for a
different character.
Another reason on why point of view was an essential element of
this novel is because both first and third person, had an introduction
and extremely strong impact on the novel. With first person point of
view it gives the readers an up close experience of Tim OBriens
thoughts and emotions. Also it gives the reader a sense of authenticity
throughout the chapters instead of just a story being told by someone
or just in third person. With that being said, we are also given third
person point of view that gives the book authenticity as well, because
the story is told and given to us through the eyes and ears of other
characters besides the narrator, OBrien.
Point of view in The Things They Carried is what makes this
book special because Tim OBrien being able to be the author and the
narrator and the protagonist character is not something you see often
in books. You are given multiple views on in this novel from multiple
people. We are not only given the feelings and sights of OBrien
through first person point of view, but also given the feelings and
sights of other characters through third person point of view. This
makes the book different and gives it more authenticity when it comes
to sights, sounds, and feelings of people in the Vietnam War.