Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-214) and index.
Contents:
Background on Tim O'Brien -- The life of Tim O'Brien -- Civilians do not understand war -- O'Brien is more than just a Vietnam War writer -- Applying Vietnam's lessons to the Iraq War -- War in The Things They Carried -- O'Brien makes his peace with war -- The Things They Carried depicts the moral complexity of war -- The Things They Carried contains fictitious truths -- O'Brien blurs the line between fact and fiction -- The Things They Carried is a war story about writing war stories -- O'Brien uses storytelling to ease the trauma of war -- O'Brien writes his way to spiritual redemption -- Tim O'Brien struggles with guilt over the war -- The Things They Carried presents a complicated view of gender -- "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" redefines women's role in war -- Homer's Iliad provides insights into O'Brien's The Things They Carried -- True war stories have no easy answers -- O'Brien offers no resolution at the conclusion of his book -- Contemporary perspectives on war -- We must not repeat the mistakes we made in Vietnam -- The Vietnam and Iraq wars are indefensible -- The Vietnam War is still with us -- Selective conscientious objection to war should be legalized -- Soldiers can fall in love with war -- We must do more to help veterans with PTSD.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.