The Things They Carried --- Diction

Diction

            Author Tim O’Brien uses a variety of characteristics to describe the war, which develop both an admiring tone and a tone that shows disapproval of the war. As a soldier who disagreed with the war effort in the first place, it is odd how O’Brien refers to the Vietnam War as “adventure”, “holiness”, “love”, and “beauty” (76-77). As a reader who has not been associated with a war, it is puzzling how O’Brien refers to it with such cheerfulness even though it is such a bleak subject. War essentially is, without the fighting and bloodshed, an adventure. It is traveling into the unknown on an enterprise not usually done in ordinary life; it is also creating a close kinship with a group of men who can almost be considered as “brothers”. Realistically, however, war is conflict and blood will be shed--the physical combat creates “awful majesty” (77). At its core, war can be considered majestic because of its notion of killing other humans, which it is such a far-fetched idea. Society tends to consider fantasy was being majestic, yet they know that it is inanimate. In some ways, O’Brien creates an approval tone of war by the colorful diction he uses.

            In reality through, war is full of savagery and brutality, which is shown by O’Brien’s disapproving tone through his diction. O’Brien describes war as “terror”, “pity”, “despair”, and “drudgery” (76). From an outside perspective, the notion of war triggers thoughts of death and violence. Soldiers know that death is inevitable, “war makes you dead” (76). It is reasonable for O’Brien to make such cruel remarks about war, yet it is difficult to understand how O’Brien is able to put war in a positive light in spite of drastically altering his life. By his diction, O’Brien creates both an admiring and disapproving tone about the Vietnam War.