It takes great courage to release what is familiar and seemingly safe, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what no longer has meaning. There is more security in adventure and excitement, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay - Alan Cohen Although often perceived as terrifying and tragic, war also has the unforeseen potential to transform the delicate face of human nature. The characters Mary Anne, Tim, and Lieutenant Cross from Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried all demonstrate how the Vietnam War allowed them to better deal with the pressures of society, ultimately gaining a deeper sense of control over their lives . When he is suddenly drafted, O'Brien doubts his ability to be the heroic, fearless soldier his community expects of him, but he quickly learns to cope with war through the grace of the story. Likewise, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is also abruptly thrown into the war and experiences serious doubts about his ability to successfully lead a platoon of army men. Then there is Mary Anne, calm and docile, who constantly relies on her lover for her identity when ultimately all she needs to do is explore a foreign country to finally rediscover her true inner self. Unsure if he can truly live up to the community's expectations, O'Brien is not easily catapulted into the terrifying and deadly world of war, and he only survives through his use of imagination and narration After receiving the draft notice, the young and erudite O'Brien is unwilling to give up his bright academic future at the same time he fears the shame that would result from his small town if he shied away from his duty; of service Struggling with the weight of his reputation, he eventually reaches Vietnam and struggles to deal with the war and the dead bodies. Instead of abusing tranquilizers and smoking marijuana like his comrade Ted Lavender, his. Favored coping mechanism is storytelling; this stems from his first real experience with death, the disappearance of his beloved childhood friend Linda O'Brien once again draws deep into his imagination to deal effectively. the intense trauma that war inevitably causes. For example, when he encounters his first corpse in the war, O'Brien responds: "that poor old man, he reminds me... of that girl I knew" (228), referring to Linda. By retelling old war stories to put his guilt in perspective, O'Brien is able to alleviate the trauma of war, even while living in the United States as a 43-year-old writer. In a much broader sense, the Vietnam War allowed O'Brien to reevaluate his life's purpose and ultimately become the writer he is today. This ongoing practice of assuaging one's guilt is often carried out by long-time veterans, particularly Lt. Jimmy Cross. Distracted by his unrequited love for a girl named Martha, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross often questions his questionable leadership qualities, but he ultimately realizes that he must sacrifice his own comfort for the sake of his men. Having been enlisted without the proper training required to successfully lead a platoon, Lieutenant Cross suffers a tremendous burden of guilt when two of his men, Kiowa and Ted Lavender, die under his flawed command: "He had loved Martha more than his men. , and as a result Lavender was now dead” (16). Cross is well aware of his.