Modular Memories

I think one of the most interesting aspects of this book is how Tim O'Brien begins it. He begins by stating the items that each person had to carry, and slowly transitions into describing the emotional baggage each brought as well as the memories they have. I think this was a deliberate distinction by O'Brien, because he wants to show that while each person has their own memories and baggage, they are essentially the same stock feelings that everyone else has. The best way to describe it is to compare it to the weapons they carry. Each weapon is going to be different depending on what each person has to do in the group, but in the grand scheme of things, the fact that one person has an assault rifle and someone else has a machine gun is almost trivial, because both are tools to kill.

Some might say that this distinction may be demeaning to the memories of the soldiers in his platoon, but I personally feel that it gives a universal feel to his message. In fact the quote from John Ransom between the table of contents and the title page explain what Tim is trying to do successfully. By stating that the experiences he writes about are interchangeable, he states that his and his platoon's memories represented the gamut of what the average soldier experienced in Vietnam, while humbly also stating that his memories are in no way special, because they represented the full spectrum of what one experienced. 

Another reason his concept of personal yet not unique memories was so important was because it means that this book was made as a guide to the Vietnam war for those who were too young to experience it. The guide itself may or may not be significant to many, but the fact that it provides the full range of emotions of people forced to fight for something they don't want to is significant.