To develop the theme, O'Brien portrays the characters' internal conflicts while serving in Vietnam war. O'Brien introduces the main character, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, as a man deeply enamored with Martha. Narrating the story, Tim O'Brien states, "he loved [Martha] more than anything, more than his men, and now Ted Lavender was dead"(paragraph 11). Therefore, this statement makes evident Lt. Cross's preponderant sorrow and unbearable guilt he burdens as a result of Ted Lavender's death. Moreover, the soldiers feel the desperate necessity to suppress their deepest fears. During dangerous times, the soldiers temporarily panic at the thought of death. Nonetheless, after the violent attacks, "awkwardly, the men... reassemble themselves, first in private, then in groups, becom

In addition, O'Brien's vivid descriptions of the character'actions become significant to the theme. Consequently, O'Brien reveals the psychological transformation that soldiers undergo under the pressures of war. To accomplish this, O'Brien narrates, "Norman Bowler, otherwise a very gentle person, carried a thumb. It had been cut from a VC corpse, a boy of fifteen of sixteen" (paragraph 28). Bowker's action depicts the soldiers' lack of respect for the dead and the soldiers' need to carry a trophy as a reward for their survival. Furthermore, O'Brien shows the characters' need to escape their reality. While waiting for the helicopter to take Lavender's lifeless body, the soldiers "sat smoking the dead man's dope until the chopper came" (paragraph 11). By smoking Lavender's marijuana, the soldiers attempt to numb the mental anguish of death in order to cope with the grimness of war. Also, to relieve the anger that consumes, them, the soldiers committed heinous acts. Vividly, O'Brien describes, "They searched the villages...frisking children and old men, blowing tunnels, sometimes setting fires and sometimes not" (paragraph 39). Unfortunately, these actions committed by the soldiers in the story illustrate their tremendou

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Approximate Word count = 831
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)