themes in the things they carried
well, i think that this book is very interesting and similar to cat's cradle. The way it is narrated and deals with the war reminds me a lot of cart's cradle. it is told from one person's perspective and how the narr1tor survived the war and the struggles that came with it.
Anyways, one theme that stood out to me so far is the burden to please everyone but oneself. I think that the narrator dealt with a lot of emotional burden. the last thing he wants to do is go to war but knows that he has to. he feels the pressure from everyone around him and knows there is no way of avoiding this. he mentions how he "feared losing the respect of [his] parents, feared the law, feared the ridicule and censure" (45). not only does he carry the weight of fear, but he also carries the weight of reputations. he is afraid of what society is going to think after he runs away and the insult his parents are going to have to face. he doesn't want them going through this. he later mentions how he "would go to the war...because [he] was embarrassed not to" (59). he thinks that the war is unjust but doesn't want to seem like a coward. he doesn't have a choice, and it doesn't matter how much he tries to avoid it, he has to go. And he realizes this but it doesn't come easy. he carries a lot burden and that comes very clear. he has a fear of shame and lacks the motivation. but again this is not a surprise because who would want to be forced to go to war. i think that there is internal pressure because he is killing himself inside thinking about this whole situation. i think that the main factor that keeps him from going to canada is what his parents will think of him if the didn't fight in the war. the shame they are going to face and the embarrassment he will face from everyone around him.
this is just an idea, i think that there will be a lot more themes as we read the book further.
Anyways, one theme that stood out to me so far is the burden to please everyone but oneself. I think that the narrator dealt with a lot of emotional burden. the last thing he wants to do is go to war but knows that he has to. he feels the pressure from everyone around him and knows there is no way of avoiding this. he mentions how he "feared losing the respect of [his] parents, feared the law, feared the ridicule and censure" (45). not only does he carry the weight of fear, but he also carries the weight of reputations. he is afraid of what society is going to think after he runs away and the insult his parents are going to have to face. he doesn't want them going through this. he later mentions how he "would go to the war...because [he] was embarrassed not to" (59). he thinks that the war is unjust but doesn't want to seem like a coward. he doesn't have a choice, and it doesn't matter how much he tries to avoid it, he has to go. And he realizes this but it doesn't come easy. he carries a lot burden and that comes very clear. he has a fear of shame and lacks the motivation. but again this is not a surprise because who would want to be forced to go to war. i think that there is internal pressure because he is killing himself inside thinking about this whole situation. i think that the main factor that keeps him from going to canada is what his parents will think of him if the didn't fight in the war. the shame they are going to face and the embarrassment he will face from everyone around him.
this is just an idea, i think that there will be a lot more themes as we read the book further.
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