Tim O'Brien's novel is a work of art, in my opinion. It is easy to get lost in the message but then again the message is being delivered through a fake story. Everything is told vividly, you can picture the buffalo, but someone had to pay. That poor animal was just at the right place to demonstrate the power of the lies. Then again would that be far from of what we are capable?
I have read stories of what US troops did, especially during the start of the war before engagement restrictions were implemented. They did some horrific things, but would going to the extreme of what war does to a man change the message of the book?
My uncle served in the military force when my native country was at war with itself. Only my dad told me that my uncle was a changed man from the war. Perhaps it was the fact that he knew he was killing his countrymen. Whatever it was he was carrying from the war, he drank it down like most veterans.
The things that we all carried must play a role in the person we are. The soldiers of Alpha Company all carried things that gave them comfort, helped them think they could make it another day. The things we carry help us make it through the day, but what are those things that you carry?
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