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O'Brien gets drafted
In the summer O'Brien receives a letter saying that he is being drafted for the Vietnam War. At first, he opposed this situation because he is against the motives of the war. He is contemplating about fleeing to Canada so he will not have to serve. But the fear of shame stops him from doing it. Finally, he accepts the situation and is drafted off. -
Getting Drafted
When O'Brien got drafted he immediately froze up and got scared. he drove to the border of Canada and Michigan. While staying at a hotel, he met a man that helped him make his decision on the war. This man's name was Elroy. -
Tim O'Brien tells the story
The stories O'Brien tells are all being told in Massachusetts in the late 1980s, twenty years after the Vietnam War. The stories all happened in Vietnam and they are things he lived through. Most of his stories are focused around the lives of other people. He mainly focuses on others to have a real story and does not follow the traditional story structure. -
Each Soldier has Troubles
Once O'Brien is drifted he meets the men who are in his company. In great detail, he describes the position each soldier has and the equipment they carry for that job. Along with the equipment, they carry tangible things that remind them of home. Most of these objects signify certain trouble or paranoia that they have. The trouble that they have affected the way they think and act during their time in the war. The troubles of the war also add on to the things that they carry in their minds. -
Returning Home
All the things Tim O'Brien experienced in the war stayed in his mind. The graphics traumatized him and the way he coped with the trauma was through telling stories and reliving the moments. While he was drafted, like all the other soldiers, he had problems of his own and upon his return, the war had given him more problems. -
Returning to Field
Years after the war O'Brien takes his daughter to Vietnam to the field in which his friend Kiowa died in. O'Brien returned to share with his daughter what the war meant and to give her an insight into his stories. His daughter not understanding the significance of the war shows us how someone not in the war cannot comprehend what the soldiers went through. O'Brien explains how different the setting is to explain how much time has past and how he is now at peace with the guilt of Kiowa's passing. -
Reminiscing
When O'Brien thinks back to the war he wonders various things. The wonders how different things would be if he had not been in that war. Even after 20 years have passed, he relies on memories with his stories and the memories of his companions. He shows honor for the fallen soldiers and the ones that survived but suffer from the trauma as well.
