Speaking of courage

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“Speaking of Courage”
Tim O’Brien’s short story “Speaking of Courage” is just one in an anthology of stories found in The Things They Carried. In it, the author extensively explores the theme of courage and strives to help the audience understand the realities of war. O’Brien shows us that the bravery needed during times of war by those who participate in it is far more than can be humanly possible. He relies on different aspects such as setting and the use of symbols to adequately explore the theme. The following essay will discuss the importance of the setting as well as O’Brien’s use of symbols in the short story.
One of the most visible things that the reader takes from the story is the fact that it is close to impossible to truly understand the vagaries of war unless you are involved in it. However, O’Brien’s use of settings, symbols and extensive exploration of various themes brings the reality of war as close as possible to the audience. The story revolves around multiple settings. The most straightforward definition of background is a place and a time where a specific scene or scenes take place. In his flashbacks of the war, Norman Bowker recalls how Captain Jim Cross convinced them to set up camp on the banks of the river in a Vietnamese village. Despite warnings from a local woman against setting up camp, they still go ahead and do so. Only later do they discover that they are on sewage or as they commonly referred to it, a shit field.

The most memorable thing about it was the stench. It was unbearable. He describes it as such, “Like quicksand almost, except the stink was incredible. You couldn’t even sleep.”CITATION OBr90 p 136 l 1033 (O’Brien 136) When gunfire began, and the soldiers ambushed, the smell made everything harder. Kiowa is shot and starts sinking in the field. Norman tries to save him, but the stench is so bad that he has to let go. The author uses the setting to outline the theme of courage and bravery. During the commotion, Norman tries his best. He is caught up between trying to save Kiowa, fighting off the stench and fleeing for his life. Only a superhuman can do all three at the same time. He is courageous. Perhaps more courageous than anyone in his group. However, he is just human, and eventually, he loses the fight and Kiowa as well. It would take an individual of superhuman ability to save Kiowa from sinking and rescue himself as well. O’Brien’s description of the jungle helps in setting the mood and making the reader understand just how bad the conditions were. It also played a massive part in how the characters such as Bowker, Cross, and Kiowa behaved. They were restless and uncomfortable because of the smell. When the enemy attacked, Bowker was unable to save Kiowa partly because the smell around them was putrid.
In the present time, Bowker is in his hometown. He was strolling around in his father’s Chevy as he admired everything he came across. He is surrounded by a beautiful lake and houses that are described as handsome. Moving around on a Sunday afternoon only made him remember his high school sweetheart, Sally Kramer. The author’s description of the town with its magnificent scenery that included a panoramic view of the lake, well-painted houses, and neat gardens paint a clear picture in the mind of the reader of just how lovely Bowker’s hometown is. It helps us visualize the local area in all its scenic splendor. More importantly, however, the description of the setting aids in creating a contrast. Bowker’s hometown is in stark difference to the war zone that was Vietnam. Its peaceful nature is very different to the constant fighting that occurred when they took part in the war. When the men were in the jungle, they were forced to camp in a village sewer that had a putrid smell that was unbearable. By contrast, Bowker’s hometown was heavenly. There were no irritating smells, and only pleasant views and the scenic lake, as well as handsome houses, abound. The detailed description by O’Brien makes the story come alive and produces a mental picture in the mind of the reader as to how beautiful to the town is all while comparing it to the drudgeries that the soldiers went through in the jungle. The description of the city is just enough to aid the reader to visualize the area without necessarily being bogged down by too much detail (Benedict Para 2).
In much the same vein, the shit field was one of the most potent symbols of the story. It was a representation of the war in Vietnam and the conditions that the soldiers fought in. The fight itself was a hostile struggle that was almost impossible to get out of. The more time went on, the more they struggled. In the end, many of them died just like Kiowa did. He symbolized the thousands of deaths that happened in Vietnam. Many people referred to the war as a predicament, and the shit field was a vivid symbol of the stickiness that the men in uniform always struggled with when they were in the jungle. The smell is also a representation of just how adverse the conditions were. The lake and the beautiful state in Bowker’s hometown offer a parallel symbol. They signify calmness and a sense of peace that was missing during the war. This was unlike the hostile conditions that the men were faced with when they fought.
Norman Bowker is a representation of the numerous veterans that took part in the Vietnam War. It was not a particularly popular war with the Americans as many citizens disagreed with the country’s participation in it. They felt that America involved itself in something that was not necessarily its business. Away from that, the veterans suffered from post dramatic stress disorder (PTSD). Once the war was over, they felt like they had no purpose and nothing to come back to. For Bowker, he had no friends to talk to, his former girlfriend is married, and everyone he knew has moved on. Everyone, including his father, is caught up in their own life. The veterans also regularly struggled with the horrors of the war that they so often recollected. Fighters such as Bowker were required to exhibit extraordinary strength to get over anxiety, depression, and loneliness all on their own. Never mind that they had been flung into a war in which they had no business being involved with in the first place. No one wants to listen to their stories or to spend time with them. The town refuses to listen to all the horror stories that he has to tell. However, they readily sent him to war and imposed a social obligation on him that forced him to not only fight but to want to fight as well. It is such social obligations that make him feel guilty for “only” getting seven medals and missing out on the Silver Star CITATION Boo11 p n.p l 1033 (BookCaps Study Guides n.p). They only want him to fight but never want to hear about the stories he has to tell about where he has been or what he has been through. The physical and mental strength that men of war were required to exhibit both during and after the war was too much. They did their best as they fought and when they went back home. Despite the serene environment that existed back at home, there was a reluctance form the people to listen to him or the stories he had to tell.
O’Brien uses various elements in “Speaking for Courage” that include setting and symbolism. The story is set primarily in two places with the jungle in Vietnam forming the basis for Bowker’s flashbacks and his hometown as the setting for the present day. The two are contrastingly different as the wilderness is hostile, and the particular place they set up camp having a rotten stench. His hometown is as scenic as they come with beautiful houses and a magnificent lake all forming part of the scenery. He uses these aspects to explore the theme of strength and illustrate just how strong the soldiers have to be both during and after the war.
Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY Benedict, Carol. Story Elements: Importance of the Setting. 23 April 2010. Website. 16 February 2018.
BookCaps Study Guides. The Things They Carried: BookCaps Study Guide. New York: BookCaps Study Guides, 2011. Print.
O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1990. Print.