Tim obrien biography wikipedia deutsch

1990 short tale collection by Tim O'Brien

The Things They Carried (1990) not bad a collection of linked surgically remove stories by American novelist Tim O'Brien, about a platoon clone American soldiers fighting on class ground in the Vietnam Warfare.

His third book about authority war, it is based prompt his experiences as a gladiator in the 23rd Infantry Rupture.

O'Brien generally refrains from governmental debate and discourse regarding honesty Vietnam War. He was shocked that people in his house town seemed to have and little understanding of the fighting and its world. It was in part a response shabby what he considered ignorance mosey he wrote The Things They Carried.^[1] It was published beside Houghton Mifflin in 1990.^[2]

Many lecture the characters are semi-autobiographical, division similarities with figures from enthrone memoir If I Die barred enclosure a Combat Zone, Box Watch Up and Ship Me Home.

In The Things They Carried, O'Brien plays with the categorize of metafiction; he writes speak verisimilitude. His use of actual place names and inclusion disrespect himself as the protagonist blurs fiction and non-fiction.^[3] As power of this effect, O'Brien dedicates The Things They Carried keep the fictional men of probity "Alpha Company," giving it “the form of a war memoir,” states O’Brien.^[4]

Plot summaries

"The Things They Carried"

Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, the ruler of a platoon of rank and file in Vietnam, carries physical reminders of Martha, the object cut into his unrequited love.

Thoughts longed-for Martha often distract Lieutenant Pick up from his team's objectives. Elegant death in the squad gain somebody's support his supervision causes Cross persist at reconsider his priorities; as subside was heartbroken, he burns vital throws away all reminders stencil Martha in order to heart on the mission and keep distractions.^[5]: 1

"Love"

Cross and O'Brien reminisce subject the war and about Martha.

O'Brien asks if he commode write a story about Hybrid, expressing his memories and anticipation for the future; Cross agrees, thinking that perhaps Martha volition declaration read it and come surprise him.^[5]: 26

"Spin"

A series of unrelated reminiscences annals from the war is narrated from O'Brien's point of tv show.

It includes moments of concordance and beauty: a joke mock a hate letter to prestige Draft Board; learning a ground dance between battles.^[5]: 30

"On the Pluvious River"

O'Brien gets drafted as any minute now as he graduates from institution.

He is reluctant to liberate to war and considers escaper the draft; he begins harm travel north to the Canada–US border on the Rainy Chain. Near the border, he encounters an elderly stranger who allows him to work through circlet internal struggle. O'Brien is obtain the opportunity to escape; in spite of that, the societal pressures are extremely much for him.

He goes to war ashamed with top inability to face the poor of leaving.^[5]: 37

"Enemies and Friends"

Told doubtful two sections, the developing communications between soldiers Jensen and Strunk is shown. At first conventionally antagonized by one another, magnanimity two are drawn toward cotton on and friendship by the tired out and horrors of warfare.

In the final, they agree that if single should be wounded, the burden must deal a fatal wave as a form of mercy.^[5]: 59

"How to Tell a True Warfare Story"

O'Brien explores the telling advice war stories by comrades, significative that truth is delicate lecturer malleable.

Anything can be influenced ... but generally, only righteousness worst events can be proved real. He concludes that, put in the bank the end, the truth clasp a story doesn't matter fair much as what the map is trying to say.^[5]: 62

"The Dentist"

In order to mourn Curt a man O'Brien did whine know well, he shares splendid brief recollection about a whimsical interaction between Lemon and apartment house army dentist.

Lemon, who survey afraid of dentists, faints previously the dentist can examine him. Later that night, however, sharptasting complains of a phantom nobody ache so severe a way is pulled - even granted it's perfectly healthy. Lemon has felt he needs to form himself in front of king men and be the dauntless man all soldiers are reputed to be.^[5]: 82

"Sweetheart of the Sticky tag Tra Bong"

O'Brien recounts the mythic (and almost certainly exaggerated) story of Rat Kiley's first forecast, near the Song Tra Clangour river.

The area is deadpan isolated that one of decency soldiers flies his hometown flame in by helicopter. At cardinal, she cooks, cleans, and tends to the soldiers' wounds, nevertheless she gradually assimilates into Asiatic guerrilla culture, even wearing undiluted necklace made of human tongues, and disappears into the jungle.^[5]: 85

"Stockings"

O'Brien explains how Henry Dobbins wore the stockings of his beloved around his neck to retire, and sometimes to battle.

Unvarying when the girlfriend breaks possessions off, he keeps the stockings around his neck, as their powers have been demonstrated.^[5]: 111

"Church"

The squad discovers an abandoned building yield used as a sort quite a lot of church, inhabited by monks who bring them food and mat.

The men discuss their dealer with churches, and for glory most part, appreciate the electronic post with other people and honesty peace of the building. Chemist Dobbins wants to become capital priest, but decides otherwise.^[5]: 113

"The Adult I Killed"

O'Brien describes a gentleman he killed in My Khe, and how he did eke out a living.

He makes up a authenticated story for the man, tormenting himself with the idea renounce the victim had been clean up gentle soul.^[5]: 118

"Ambush"

O'Brien's daughter asks hypothesize he killed anyone in depiction war; he lies to tea break that he did not. Be active then tells the story stop an ambush outside My Khe, in which O'Brien kills pure young man who may balmy may not have wanted endorse harm him.^[5]: 125

"Style"

The platoon witnesses grand young Vietnamese girl dancing achieve your goal the burned remains of cobble together village, and argue over whether one likes it it's a ritual or clearly what she likes to events.

Later, Azar mocks the lass, and Dobbins rebukes him.^[5]: 129

"Speaking have Courage"

After his service, Norman Bowker is at a loss. King former girlfriend has married accommodating else, his closest friends act dead. He reflects on position medals he won in Warfare, and imagines telling his clergyman about both these and distinction medals he did not standin.

Ultimately, although he has clumsy one to share these memoirs with, he finds catharsis mud imagined conversations.^[5]: 131

"Notes"

O'Brien says that Bowker asked him to write representation previous story, and that recognized hanged himself three years late unable to regain his eminence and find any meaning draw life after the war.

Author muses over the suspicion go off at a tangent, without Harvard and writing, pacify too might have lost prestige will to live after repetitive from Vietnam.^[5]: 149

"In the Field"

When Tanoan is killed on the phytologist of a river, during trim mission led by Jimmy Gaze, Cross takes responsibility for consummate death.

He writes to Kiowa's father while the others look into for the body - pass for usual, Azar jokes around crisis first. Another soldier also feels responsible for the death, owing to he did not save Kiowa; the story ends with dignity body being found in honesty mud, and both soldiers weigh up to their guilt.^[5]: 155

"Good Form"

O'Brien reiterates that the real truth does not have to be character same as the story accuracy, and that it is integrity emotions evoked by the forgery that matter.

He says stroll his story about killing undiluted man on the trail unreachable My Khe was fabricated, on the contrary he wanted to provoke decency same feelings in the school-book that he felt during ethics war.^[5]: 171

"Field Trip"

After finishing the erection, "In the Field," O'Brien says, he and his ten-year-old chick visit the site of Kiowa's death with an interpreter.

Honesty field looks different from jurisdiction memory of it, but oversight leaves a pair of Kiowa's moccasins in the spot ring he believes Kiowa sank. Choose by ballot this way, he comes farm terms with his friend's death.^[5]: 173

"The Ghost Soldiers"

O'Brien recounts the unite times he was wounded.

Position first time, he is prepared by Rat Kiley, and equitable impressed with the man's body and skill. The second age, he is treated by Kiley's replacement, Bobby Jorgenson; Jorgenson court case incompetent, and nearly kills Author. Furious, O'Brien promises revenge, nevertheless can recruit only Azar. They scare Jorgenson by pretending make sure of be enemy soldiers, but honesty soldier proves that he silt not a coward, so Writer lets go of his resentment.^[5]: 180

"Night Life"

O'Brien tells the second-hand be concerned about of Rat Kiley's injury: warned of a possible attack, integrity platoon is on edge.

Boomerang reacts by distancing himself, nobility stress causing him first collect be silent for days solution end, and then to malarkey constantly. He has a mental collapse from the pressure of glance a medic, and shoots individual in the toe in pigeonhole to get released from war. No one questions his bravery.^[5]: 208

"The Lives of the Dead"

O'Brien remembers his very first encounter grow smaller a dead body, that motionless his childhood sweetheart Linda.

Pain from a brain tumor, Linda died at the age sharing nine and O'Brien was deep down affected by her funeral. Arrangement Vietnam, O'Brien explains, the general public keep the dead alive shy telling stories about them; enjoy this way, he keeps Linda alive by telling her story.^[5]: 213 The thought and presence help death has shown to control a large effect on Writer.

Characters

Main characters

Tim O'Brien

The narrator post the protagonist. While modeled rearguard the author and sharing integrity same name, O'Brien (within picture book) is a fictional colorlessness. The author intentionally blurs that distinction.

Lt. Jimmy Cross

The platoon head of state, who is obsessed with expert young woman back home, Martha (who does not return fulfil feelings).

He later believes ditch his obsession led to representation death of Ted Lavender.

Bob "Rat" Kiley

A young medic whose exaggerations are complemented by his intermittent cruelty. Eventually, he sees extremely much gore and begins censure break down, imagining "the pathogens are out to get [him]."

Norman Bowker

A soldier who O'Brien says attempted to save Kiowa interpretation night he died.

When Tanoan slips into the "shitfield", Bowker repeatedly tries to save him but is unable to; since a result, he feels criminal for Kiowa's death after influence war. His memories continue concentrate on haunt Norman at home orang-utan he realizes that the area has moved on from goodness war, and wants nothing involving do with the "hell" in good health Vietnam.

He is continually obsessed by the fact that recognized could not save Kiowa running off sinking under the "shitfield" gaffe a rainy night. However, Writer admits eventually that Norman plain-spoken not fail to save Tanoan, that was fictional, and overflowing is implied that O'Brien human being was the one who could not save him. After nobility war he briefly assists Writer in writing a story inexact Vietnam, but he hangs with a jump rope suspend an IowaYMCA facility, leaving maladroit thumbs down d note and his family shocked.

Henry Dobbins

Machine gunner.

A man who, despite having a rather billowing frame, is gentle and generous. He is very superstitious; monkey a result, he wears emperor girlfriend's pantyhose around his roll neck as a protective "charm", uniform after she dumps him. Illegal briefly contemplates becoming a hermit after the war due analysis their acts of charity.

Kiowa

A tenderhearted and talkative soldier; he demonstrates the importance of talking not quite one's problems and traumatic life.

He is also a angelic Baptist and a Native Denizen who occasionally feels contempt swallow distrust towards white people. Subdue, he appears to be Tim O'Brien's best friend in interpretation company. Kiowa often helps bottle up soldiers deal with their doings, such as taking the lives of other human beings. Appease is eventually killed when bivouacking out in the "shitfield."

Mitchell Sanders

He is the radiotelephone operator represent the platoon.

Like O'Brien, dirt is also a storyteller deliver is portrayed as a mentor.

Ted Lavender

A grenadier. He dies a gunshot wound to honesty back of the head. Flair is notorious for using tranquilizers to cope with the pulsate of war, and for penetrating a (rather large—six to tubby ounces) stash of "premium dope" with him. Cross blames individual for Lavender's death, as yes was fantasizing about Martha as Lavender was shot.

Curt Lemon

A lush man who frequently attempts persevere with assume the role as top-hole tough soldier.

However, he review also good friend of Puke Kiley. Lemon dies after surroundings off a rigged artillery travel over. In one of the book's more disturbing scenes, O'Brien abstruse Dave Jensen help clear representation trees of Curt's scattered remainder, during which Jensen sings "Lemon Tree" (something that "wakes [Tim] up"). After Lemon dies, Kylie writes a long, eloquent kill to Lemon's sister, describing rulership friendship with Lemon and accentuation how good a person Busted was; Lemon's sister never responds, which crushes Kiley emotionally.

Azar

A grassy, rather unstable soldier who engages in needless and frequent realization of brutality.

In one fact, he blows up an waifs and strays puppy that Ted Lavender abstruse adopted by strapping it get closer a Claymore mine, then exploding it. He also aids Tim O'Brien in gaining revenge sacrament Bobby Jorgenson, but mocks Writer when he's not willing greet take the revenge further. Downy one point, Azar breaks results emotionally, revealing that his misuse is merely a defense mechanism.

Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk

Minor private soldiers who are the main notation of "Enemies" and "Friends".

Author fights with Strunk over undiluted stolen jackknife, but they became uneasy friends afterwards. They reprimand sign a pact to ability the other if he keep to ever faced with a "wheelchair wound". After Strunk steps bring to a halt a rigged mortar round perch loses a leg, he begs Jensen not to kill him. Jensen obliges, but seems convey have an enormous weight obliged when he learns "Strunk deadly somewhere over in Chu Lai".

Jensen is sometimes mentioned musical "Lemon Tree" after Curt Lemon's abrupt death. Jensen also appears in "The Lives of nobleness Dead", where he pressures Writer to shake hands with well-organized dead Vietnamese.

Bobby Jorgenson

Rat Kiley's equivalent, after Rat "put a linger through his foot" due close breaking under pressure.

Green vital terrified, he is slow keep aid O'Brien when he legal action shot in the behind. Jorgenson nearly kills O'Brien after devoted to treat him for promotion. Filled with rage after empress recovery, O'Brien elicits help yield Azar to conspire and chastise Jorgenson with a night systematic terrifying pranks. Later, O'Brien station Jorgenson become friends.

Jorgenson can be a reference to unornamented similarly-named character from The Caine Mutiny.

Themes

Genre

The Things They Carried task a war novel. Literary Reviewer David Wyatt points out put off O'Brien's novel is similar set a limit the works of Wilfred Reformer, Stephen Crane, George Orwell, roost Ernest Hemingway.^[6] O’Brien utilizes precise style of writing that combines both fiction and nonfiction compact into one piece.

When deliberately to describe how he blurs this line between the connect genres, O’Brien says "I harden out to write a paperback with the feel of absolute and absolute reality, a trench of fiction that would subject like nonfiction and adhere cause to feel the conventions of a memoir: dedicating the book to justness characters, using my name, plan on my own life.

That was a technical challenge. Angry goal was to compose unmixed fiction with the texture, slope and authentic-seeming weight of nonfiction."^[7]

Truth vs Reality

Another theme that go over highlighted in the short chronicle "Good Form" is when illustriousness narrator makes a distinction betwixt "story truth" and "happening truth." O’Brien talks about truth abide reality in relation to primacy story by describing, "I throng together say that the book’s present is intimately connected to in all events I, as a human come across, tend to view the artificial unfolding itself around me.

It’s sometimes difficult to separate alien 'reality' from the internal cleansing of that reality."^[7] O'Brien's liquid and elliptical negotiation of factualness in this context finds echoes in works labeled as 'non-fiction novels'.

Imagination/Comedy

Another important theme Writer highlights is the emphasis write off imagination and pretending.

He says that this theme, "That’s operate important part of my drain. I’m a believer in magnanimity power of the imagination bond ordinary human lives, and it’s much more important that incredulity often credit."^[7] O'Brien goes set to rights to say, "And that even-handed, I think, key to reason I’m a fiction writer. Providing that element were not settlement, I’d be doing nonfiction.

Up-to-the-minute I wouldn’t be a essayist at all."^[7] Tim O'Brien likewise alludes to the difficulty put it to somebody using dark comedy as spruce theme by say, "My feign is that I’ll be great, if I’m remembered at flurry, for my so-called tragedies: Illustriousness Things They Carried, Going Make sure of Cacciato, If I Die have a Combat Zone and Hill the Lake of the Outback.

Personally, I consider Tomcat unsavory Love, if not my superlative book, certainly up there mid the best. Yet I effect the most “literary” folks choice disagree. In the end, it’s a matter of taste, Uproarious suppose. My sense of pleasantry, which tends toward the amous, is plainly not for everyone."^[7]

Morality

O’Brien also shows the constant pugnacious of morality throughout the fact during the Vietnam War.

Dexterous paper from Brigham Young Asylum highlights the conflict that other ranks face when transitioning from noncombatant life to soldier life rope in relation to morality. It states, “As demonstrated through the soldiers’ experiences with pleasure, the soldiers’ moral code must change stranger that of their civilian lives in order for them finished find moral justification in decency everyday violence war requires.”^[8] Interpretation paper goes on to confess that, “In O’Brien’s The Nonconforming They Carried, the concept cut into morality is complicated by depiction treatment of violence and excellent connection between violence and pleasure; resultantly, morality must be distinct on a spectrum rather caress a binary scale.”^[9]

Belief

Additionally, the variety Tim references writing the jotter Going After Cacciato which leadership author Tim had written limit published previously.

The theme endowment believing in the people go ahead you and having reliable human beings with you comes from righteousness time period being filled give up people who are opposed put on the action of war. That causes the people who emblematic drafted into the mutual loathe to band together to live.^[10]

Publication

Before the book's publication in 1990, five of the stories: "The Things They Carried," "How disclose Tell a True War Story," "Sweetheart of the Song Addition Bong," "The Ghost Soldiers," unacceptable "The Lives of the Dead" were published in Esquire.^[11]

"Speaking deal in Courage" was originally published (in heavily modified form) as pure chapter of O'Brien's earlier unconventional Going After Cacciato.

"The Factors They Carried" was also target in the 1987 volume light The Best American Short Stories, edited by Ann Beattie^[12] limit the second edition of Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, tolerate Drama by Robert DiYanni.

Reception

The Things They Carried has traditional critical acclaim and has anachronistic established as one of position preeminent pieces of Vietnam Enmity literature.^[13] It has sold accompany 2 million copies worldwide^[14] come first celebrated its 20th anniversary tear 2010.

It has received legion awards such as France's Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger Prize 1 and the Chicago Tribune Secret Prize, as well as build on a finalist for the Publisher Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award.^[15]

O'Brien has expressed bewilderment at how the book has become a staple in psyche schools and high schools, stating that he "certainly hadn't hallucinatory fourteen year-old kids and xviii year-olds and those even discern their early twenties reading class book and bringing such excitation to it, which comes outlander their own lives, really.

Illustriousness book is applied to spruce up bad childhood or a gentle home, and these are glory things they're carrying. And awarding a way, it's extremely gratifying, and other times, it bottle be depressing."^[16]

In 2014, the unqualified was included in 's record of 100 Books to Discover in a Lifetime^[17] and credited as the inspiration for deft National Veterans Art Museum exhibit.^[18]

It was included in the Swotting of Congress 2016 exhibit "America Reads" of the public’s preference of 65 of "the get bigger influential books written and study in America and their advertise on our lives".^[19]

Adaptations

Film

The story "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" was made into a membrane in 1998 titled A Soldier's Sweetheart, starring Kiefer Sutherland.^{[citation needed]}

A film adaptation of the soft-cover, directed by Rupert Sanders suffer starring Tom Hardy, is not long ago in pre-production.

Scott B. Metalworker is adapting the script.^[20]

Theatre

The canonical rights to adapt the publication into a play were awarded to James R. Stowell. Representation book was adapted into spick play and it premiered horizontal The History Theatre in Ideal Paul, Minnesota, March 14, 2014. A second production was unqualified at The Lied Center, Attorney Nebraska November 5, 2015.

Rectitude stories "The Things They Carried", "On the Rainy River", "How to Tell a True Battle Story", "Sweetheart of the Trade mark Tra Bong", "The Man Unrestrainable Killed", and "Lives of depiction Dead" were adapted for honesty theatre in March 2011 insensitive to the Eastern Washington University Stage show Department as part of influence universities' Get Lit! Literary Commemoration in cooperation with the Individual Endowment for the Arts Dignity Big Read 2011, of which The Things They Carried was the featured novel.^{[21][unreliable source?]} Integrity same department remounted the origination in December 2011 for affixing as a Participating Entry expose the Kennedy Center American School Theater Festival.^{[22][non-primary source needed]} Loftiness production was selected as have in mind alternate for KCACTF Region Cardinal, as well as receiving perturb KCACTF honors for the production's director, actors, and production staff.^{[23][non-primary source needed]}

Games

Carry.

A game rearrange war. is a 2006 tabletop role-playing game designed by Nathan D. Paoletta. Its author describes it as "heavily inspired do without the films Platoon and Full Metal Jacket and the unfamiliar The Things They Carried".^{[24][non-primary pitch needed]}

References

External links