ICSSR Sponso ed One Day Na ional Semina on
Li e a u e, Wa and Memo y: Na a i es o T auma and Healing in 20 h and 21s Cen u y English Li e a u e
25
WAR’S INVISIBLE SCARS: THE LASTING IMPACT ON VETERAN SOLDIERS
IN TIM O'BRIEN’S
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
D . V. Sangee ha
P o esso o English, Depa men o Science and Humani ies
R P Sa a hy Ins i u e o Technology, Salem
shi isangee [email protected]
h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17283287
Abs ac
Tim O'B ien is a dis inguished Ame ican au ho widely known o his mas e -piece The Things They
Ca ied (1990). I po ays he psychological, emo ional and physical impac o he Vie nam Wa on he
Ame ican soldie s who se ed hea and soul. I is a collec ion o in e connec ed sho s o ies ha usions
ic ion and au obiog aphy. The book was e e ed o be "a mas e piece o mode n wa ic ion" by The New
Yo k Times in he yea 2010. Wa has always le a deep sca on human his o y, bu i s in luence sp eads a
beyond he ba leg ound. The s o ies e ol e a ound a squad o Ame ican soldie s igh ing in Vie nam, and
hey explo e hemes o memo y and he emo ional su e ings ha soldie s wi hs and—bo h physically and
symbolically. Li e a u e mi o s socie y by cap u ing he auma, b a e y, and des uc ion o wa ,
ans o ming hese expe iences in o ele an na a i es. Nea ly wo decades a e e u ning home, O’B ien
emains loaded by he emo ional sca s and haun ing memo ies o his ime in wa . Th ough meaning ul
s o y elling, he examines he physical and psychological challenges aced by soldie s— hei ea s,
aspi a ions, and he complex eali ies o wa a e.
Keywo ds: Wa , auma, memo y, challenges, s o ies, li e a u e socie y
In oduc ion
Tim O’ B ien was bo n on Oc obe 1, 1946, in Aus in Minneso a. He was aised in a small
own and was se ed in he US A my du ing he Vie nam Wa . The memo ies o Vie nam deeply
in luenced his w i ing s yle. His w i ing s yle is no able o i s inno a i e blend o ac and
ic ion, c ea ing a na a i e oice ha is bo h memo able and impac ul. His wo ks explo e he
p o ound emo ional and psychological imp ession o wa on bo h soldie s and ci ilians. Tim
O’B ien’s cha ac e s o en employ s o y elling as a way o p ocess hei expe iences, emo ions
and memo ies. Some o his p ominen wo ks a e The Things They Ca ied, Going A e Caccia o
(1978) which won he Na ional Book Awa d o i s no el depic ion o a soldie ’s escape in o
ic ional, and I I Die in a Comba Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home (1973), an au obiog aphical
in e p e a ion o his own se ice. These wo ks collec i ely and p o oundly shaped he gen e o
wa li e a u e by emphasizing no only he physical ha dships o s uggle bu also he e e nal
psychological and emo ional sca s. O’B ien h ough his wo ks ans o ms auma in o a las ing
legacy, p o iding c oss-gene a ional na a i es ha illumina e he p o ound impac o con lic
All his wo ks ha e le an indelible ma k on he gen e o wa li e a u e.
The Physical and Psychological Impac o Wa
In The Things They Ca ied, Tim O’B ien s ongly demons a es bo h he physical and
psychological impac s o wa on soldie s, displaying how he Vie nam Wa le deep sca s on
hei bodies and minds.
Physical Impac
The soldie s expedi ion h ough jungles, ca ying hea y equipmen , and deal wi h snipe
i e, landmines, and aps all day long gi e a sense o de as a ing memo ies. Weapons, a ions,
helme s, lak jacke s, and pe sonal belongings a e all me iculously documen ed o show he
ICSSR Sponso ed One Day Na ional Semina on
Li e a u e, Wa and Memo y: Na a i es o T auma and Healing in 20 h and 21s Cen u y English Li e a u e
26
hea y weigh o ba le, as he i le i sel makes clea . Li ing physically is a daily ba le because
o he ongoing h ea s o illness, inju y, exhaus ion, and demise.
Psychological Impac
Tim O’B ien ca e ully examined he psychological ou comes o de as a ing wa , such as
auma, anxie y, shame, pain and su e ing, in The Things They Ca ied. The possessions o he
soldie s se e as a symbol o he inne esponsibili ies, highligh ing he se e e e ec s o wa
on hei emo ional and men al well-being.
• To illus a e, he cha ac e Lieu enan Jimmy C oss is plagued by eg e o e Ted
La ende 's passing and eels ha his own p eoccupied hough s and eelings we e he
eason.
• A e he wa , No man Bowke s uggles o econnec in o ci ilian li e due o ex eme
loneliness and su i o 's guil .
• By examining he long-las ing ho o o killing and wi nessing mu de , O'B ien himsel
demons a es how wa memo ies emain o plague e e ans e en long a e hey ha e
e u ned home.
Besides hei physical bu dens, he soldie s endu e he unno iced bu den o hei ha sh
expe iences, which emain as psychological wounds and equen ly eappea in suicidal
hough s and d eams.
The Powe o S o y elling
The Things They Ca ied is a compila ion o a ious s o ies ha examines wi h s o y elling
echniques ins ead o di ec ep esen a ion o he Vie nam Wa . O'B ien uses no el
me a ic ional echniques o examine he cha ac e s powe o desc ip ion and hei ela ionship
o u h and memo y.
He deals wi h he concep o a " ue" wa s o y, signi ying ha emo ional u h and he
impac o he s o y o he soldie s auma on he eade a e mo e signi ican han i m u h ul
accu acy. He challenges he adi ional concep s o wa na a i es by highligh ing he
psychological and emo ional clash o wa on soldie s. The book analyses me ana a i es, o
cen al s o ies, abou he wa and i s mul i-laye ed meaning. This me hod suppo s wi h
pos mode n li e a y heo y, which ques ions s iking na a i es and highligh s subjec i i y and
indi idual pe spec i es.
In The Things They Ca ied, Tim O’B ien s esses he powe o s o y elling as a means o
su i al, healing, and p ese ing u h in he ace o auma. Fo O’B ien, s o ies a e no jus
na a i es— hey a e a way o ep esen he ce ain y o he chaos and mo al ambigui y o wa .
1. S o y elling as Emo ional T u h:
O’B ien mi iga es he line be ween ac and ic ion, asse ing ha a s o y can be " ue " han
he ac ual e en s i i depic s wha he expe ience el like. He w i es, “A hing may happen and
be a o al lie; ano he hing may no happen and be ue han he u h.” This e lec s how
s o y elling connec s emo ional and psychological eali ies mo e deeply han objec i e ac s.
This kind o echnique o e s a las ing imp ession in he minds o he eade .
2. Coping wi h T auma:
Na a ing s o ies becomes a me hod o soldie s o su i e wi h guil , g ie , and ea .
Recoun ing e en s—whe he eal, exagge a ed, o imagined—allows cha ac e s o exp ess
hei pain and eclaim con ol o e unbea able memo ies. O'B ien uses s o y elling as a o m o
ca ha sis, a way o con on he ghos s o he pas .
ICSSR Sponso ed One Day Na ional Semina on
Li e a u e, Wa and Memo y: Na a i es o T auma and Healing in 20 h and 21s Cen u y English Li e a u e
27
3. Keeping he Dead Ali e:
Th ough s o y elling, O’B ien keeps he memo y o allen soldie s like Ted La ende and
Kiowa ali e. He says, “S o ies can sa e us.” By elling and e elling, he gi es he dead a kind o
immo ali y, e using o le hem be o go en.
4. C ea ing Sha ed Unde s anding:
S o y elling b idges he gap be ween soldie s and ci ilians. I helps hose who ha en’
expe ienced wa unde s and i s emo ional cos , e en i hey can’ ully ela e. S o ies become a
o m o es imony, a legacy o wa ’s ue human impac .
The Things They Ca ied p o ides a powe ul po ayal o he physical and psychological
impac o wa on soldie s, highligh ing he complexi ies and nuances o hei expe iences.
Th ough i id s o y elling and poignan cha ac e iza ion, Tim O’ B ien sheds ligh on he human
cos o wa , e ealing he complexi ies o soldie s expe iences and he endu ing impac o
auma on hei li es. The Things They Ca ied explo es he psychological weigh o wa on
soldie s, including guil , ea , and auma. The ollowing lines exp ess how he psychological
pain is as hea y as physical bu dens. “They ca ied all he emo ional baggage o men who migh
die. G ie , e o , lo e, longing— hese we e in angibles, bu he in angibles had hei own mass and
speci ic g a i y, hey had angible weigh .” The objec s hey ca y symbolize hese in e nal
bu dens, demons a ing he p o ound impac o wa on hei men al and emo ional s a es.
S o y elling and T auma in The Things They Ca ied
In The Things They Ca ied, Tim O’B ien skill ully uses s o y elling echnique as bo h a
na a i e de ice and a healing ac o con on he psychological auma o wa encoun e ed by
he soldie s. Fo O’B ien and his cha ac e s, un olding wa s o ies become a way o p ocess g ie ,
guil , and loss. T auma ic memo ies—pa icula ly hose in ol ing dea h, iolence, and mo al
ambigui y— esis adi ional unde s anding, and hus demand e elling, eshaping, and e-
expe iencing h ough s o ies. O’B ien w i es, “S o ies can sa e us,” sugges ing ha na a i e is
no jus a me hod o communica ion bu a i al means o su i al.
Ra he han o e ing a linea o ac ual accoun o he Vie nam Wa , O’B ien blu s u h and
ic ion o con ey emo ional au hen ici y. Fo ins ance, he epea ed s o y o Kiowa’s dea h and
he guil su ounding i illus a es how auma linge s and eshapes memo y. Simila ly, he
ic ional cha ac e o Linda—O’B ien’s childhood lo e who died o cance —eme ges in he
na a i e o show how s o y elling e i es he dead and con on s emo ional wounds. By elling
he s o y, O’B ien eclaims con ol o e loss and a i ms he healing powe o imagina ion.
Ul ima ely, The Things They Ca ied shows ha s o y elling is a way o endu e auma,
ans o m pain in o meaning, and keep he pas ali e wi hou being des oyed by i . Fo he
soldie s, s o ies a e no escapes om eali y— hey a e he only way o ace i .
In conclusion, w i ing ch onicles o he Vie nam Wa h ough “s o y- elling”, Tim O’B ien
was able o exp ess he u h abou he way he el . He was one o he soldie s whose mind,
hea , and soul we e inju ed by he ha dships o wa . In his, he was able o deal wi h his own
li e’s di icul ies and b eak om he cycle o ep ession. He could no longe p olong his silence.
He spoke no only o himsel , bu o e e y pe son who su e ed his a e and o hose who los
hei li es du ing he wa . O’B ien was e y cle e no o use he adi ional way o ende ing a
wa s o y. Acco ding o Ma ilyn Wesley (2002), he Vie nam Wa is he i s pos mode n wa
ha b oke down any sha ed language as a means o ende ing expe ience (p. 15).
ICSSR Sponso ed One Day Na ional Semina on
Li e a u e, Wa and Memo y: Na a i es o T auma and Healing in 20 h and 21s Cen u y English Li e a u e
28
Conclusion
The Things They Ca ied has ecei ed a lo o p aise o i s examina ion o he human
condi ion and no el app oach o wa w i ing. Thei combina ions o eali y and su ealism,
s iking image y, and capaci y o a ouse sympa hy o he soldie s’ pligh ha e all been p aised
by c i ics.
"Tim O'B ien's The Things They Ca ied ca ies no only he soldie s' in angible bu dens—
g ie , e o , lo e, longing—bu also he weigh o memo y, he e ible g a i y o guil . I ca ies
hem, hough, wi h a lo ely, s i ing g ace, because i is as much abou he edemp i e powe o
s o ies as i is abou Vie nam." —O lando Sen inel
Re e ences
Chen, T. (1998). Un a eling he deepe meaning: Exile and he embodied poe ics o
displacemen in Tim O’B ien’s Con empo a y Li e a u e, 39(1), 77-98.
O’B ien, T. (1990). The man I killed & The hings hey ca ied. New Yo k: Hough on Mi lin.
O’B ien. T. (2009). The Things hey Ca ied. 1990. London:Flamingo
Silbe gleid, R. (2009). Making hings p esen : Tim O’B ien’s au obiog aphical me a ic ion.
Con empo a y Li e a u e, 50(1), 129-155.
Wesley, M. (2002). T u h and ic ion in Tim O’B ien’s i I die in a comba zone and “The Things
They Ca ied”. College Li e a u e, 29(2), 1-1
