The Vietnam War’s Power to Transform Characters in The Things They Carried

This paper is a literary analysis about the Vietnam War’s Power to transform characters in the book “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’brien.

Your literary analysis paper should carefully examine one interesting “not so obvious” aspect of your book (theme, character(s), symbolism, etc). This process should help you better appreciate and understand the novel as a whole. You may choose to write on one of the following:

1. O’Brien says his novel is a “love story.” Discuss why this is true using characters and events from the book to prove your thesis.

2. Choose one theme from the story. Then discuss how that the theme is explored by present using characters and events to explain it.

***Possible themes topics – violence, religion, superstition, revenge, courage, masculinity, innocence, love, guilt, etc.

3. Discuss how the book examines PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
4. O’Brien uses many examples of horrific images in war, but contrasts them by writing about beautiful images as well. Discuss why O’Brien includes these polar opposites in his book.

5. War changes people. Choose three/four characters from the novel and discuss how they are changed. Be sure to include how O’Brien describes them early on and then how they are affected over time by the events that surround or involve them.

6. Discuss the role of women in the novel. What do they represent? How do they control, affect, change or alter the events and/or male characters in the story? You are welcome to come up with your own analytical approach and topic, just make sure you have my approval first. YOU CANNOT WRITE YOUR ESSAY ON“WEIGHT” SINCE WE ALREADY DISCUSSED THIS AT LENGTH. Keep in mind that the success of this essay is based on the clarity and sufficiency of its examples.

This kind of writing demands tight organization and control. Therefore, your essay must

(1) cover the topic you are writing about, (2) have a central idea (stated in your thesis), (3) quote from the novel for each claim you present, (4) provide thorough analysis of intext citations, (5) be organized so that everything contributes something to the reader’s understanding of the central idea. Avoid being general in your writing. Avoid presenting the obvious—break the surface, go in-depth with your analysis, fish out the invisible, show me what you have found hiding in the crevices of the story! Avoid summarizing parts of the book just to fill up pages! Every sentence and thought must contribute to the thesis!

Your essay MUST be at least at least 5 FULL pages in length (without counting the works cited page). It MUST have a thesis statement, body (several paragraphs), and a conclusion. You MUST examine at least five stories in the book. You MUST have a working title that describes the nature of your topic. You MUST quote from your book in order to defend your thesis and all claims you present. A works cited page MUST be attached. Yes, everything must be in MLA format. You must include at least 6 outside sources.

Your rough draft must be typed, double-spaced, 12 size font, Times New Roman. Please bring 3 copies to workshop on the workshop date (failure to do so will result in a 10 pt. deduction from the final grade).

I will grade your essay with attention to (1) clarity, (2) coherence, (3) logical organization, (4) accuracy and correctness, (5) sufficiency, and (6) style. As always, spelling, grammar, and punctuation must be in good standing. Errors in MLA formatting will affect the overall grade.

7 pages