Another example of hiding from the events of the war is when Norman Bowker went home after the war. Just like in The Man I killed, the character creates fake scenarios about people in his imagination. In this example, Bowker “tells” his war stories to people back home when, in actuality, his mind is just playing out the scenario in his head. Not only does he retell the stories to himself, he does so in such a way that he still sounds courageous and humble to the nonexistent listeners, “keeping his voice cool (with) no self pity (pg. 145).” On top of that he also imagines his “listeners” reactions and emotions, which seems to actually parallel his self value, or lack thereof. In the case of his father, Bowker imagines that his father “would have sighed, folded his arms, and waited.” Bowker may just feel inferior or needing to prove himself.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
The Things They Carried Blog #3
Paralleling the death of Lavender in
previous chapters, the way the author discusses the Vietnamese man's death in The
Man I Killed very similarly. Rather than discussing the death in first
person, like in most other stories, O'Brien tells this tale from the point of
view as an outsider looking in. I think he might do this to distance himself
from the reality that he just brutally killed someone. Focusing on the pleasant
details, if any, within the scene, such as "small blue flowers like bells
(pg.128)," or "the butterfly on his [the dead man's] chin (pg.
124)," O'Brien is able to block out the horrific details. On top
of that though, he also makes up details about "John Doe," his life,
dreams, and even love connections.
Another example of hiding from the events of the war is when Norman Bowker went home after the war. Just like in The Man I killed, the character creates fake scenarios about people in his imagination. In this example, Bowker “tells” his war stories to people back home when, in actuality, his mind is just playing out the scenario in his head. Not only does he retell the stories to himself, he does so in such a way that he still sounds courageous and humble to the nonexistent listeners, “keeping his voice cool (with) no self pity (pg. 145).” On top of that he also imagines his “listeners” reactions and emotions, which seems to actually parallel his self value, or lack thereof. In the case of his father, Bowker imagines that his father “would have sighed, folded his arms, and waited.” Bowker may just feel inferior or needing to prove himself.
Another example of hiding from the events of the war is when Norman Bowker went home after the war. Just like in The Man I killed, the character creates fake scenarios about people in his imagination. In this example, Bowker “tells” his war stories to people back home when, in actuality, his mind is just playing out the scenario in his head. Not only does he retell the stories to himself, he does so in such a way that he still sounds courageous and humble to the nonexistent listeners, “keeping his voice cool (with) no self pity (pg. 145).” On top of that he also imagines his “listeners” reactions and emotions, which seems to actually parallel his self value, or lack thereof. In the case of his father, Bowker imagines that his father “would have sighed, folded his arms, and waited.” Bowker may just feel inferior or needing to prove himself.
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