Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried
The Things They Carried: Catharsis and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder “Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to” (O’Brien 20). Tim O’Brien is the author of The Things They Carried, a fictional memoir written from the perspective of the narrator, whose name is also Tim O’Brien. This fictional O’Brien’s experiences cover many themes, most notably those of fear, guilt and humiliation. In this novel, O’Brien uses a distinct blend of fact and fiction as an outlet for his actual experiences in Vietnam. Because O’Brien suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), he uses “story-truth versus happening-truth” to distance himself from his experiences. This make the reader feel the emotional power of the Vietnam War through
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Veterans Administration. We Call It Bibliotherapy; an Annotated Bibliography on Bibliotherapy and the Adult Hospitalized Patient. Comp. Rosemary Dolan. Washington, 1967. Print.
Vernon, Alex. Soldiers Once and Still: Ernest Hemingway, James Salter & Tim O'Brien. Iowa City: University of Iowa, 2004. Print. Vernon's criticism and interpretation of O'Brien's works.
Zaccaria, Joseph S., Harold A. Moses, and Jeff S. Hollowell. Bibliotherapy in Rehabilitation, Educational, and Mental Health Settings: Theory, Research, and Practice. Champaign, IL: Stipes, 1978. Print.
Zohar, Joseph, David J. Nutt, and Jonathan R.T. Davidson. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Diagnosis, Management, and Treatment. London: M. Dunitz, 2000. Print.
Zolli, Luciana M. "Breaking the Mold: Tim O'Brien and Transcending Genre Lines." Thesis. University of Dayton, 2006. Print. Tim O'Brien's works should not be classified under the fiction or memoir genres. Rather, a new genre, "psycho-autobiography" should be used to give the reader a more in depth appreciation for O'Brien's writings.
Works Cited
O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. Print.
Herman, Judith Lewis. Trauma and Recovery. New York: Basic, 1997.
Veterans Administration. We Call It Bibliotherapy; an Annotated Bibliography on Bibliotherapy and the Adult Hospitalized Patient. Comp. Rosemary Dolan. Washington, 1967. Print.
Vernon, Alex. Soldiers Once and Still: Ernest Hemingway, James Salter & Tim O'Brien. Iowa City: University of Iowa, 2004. Print. Vernon's criticism and interpretation of O'Brien's works.
Zaccaria, Joseph S., Harold A. Moses, and Jeff S. Hollowell. Bibliotherapy in Rehabilitation, Educational, and Mental Health Settings: Theory, Research, and Practice. Champaign, IL: Stipes, 1978. Print.
Zohar, Joseph, David J. Nutt, and Jonathan R.T. Davidson. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Diagnosis, Management, and Treatment. London: M. Dunitz, 2000. Print.
Zolli, Luciana M. "Breaking the Mold: Tim O'Brien and Transcending Genre Lines." Thesis. University of Dayton, 2006. Print. Tim O'Brien's works should not be classified under the fiction or memoir genres. Rather, a new genre, "psycho-autobiography" should be used to give the reader a more in depth appreciation for O'Brien's writings.
Works Cited
O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. Print.
Herman, Judith Lewis. Trauma and Recovery. New York: Basic, 1997.