Vietnam War Short Stories Essay -- Literary Analysis

The Vietnam War was the first war in history to be broadcast on national television. Due to the increasing popularity of television ownership and the introduction of the nightly news programs such as CBS and NBC, the horrors of war found a place in living rooms across the country. Between 1965 and 1975, nine million people served in the Vietnam War, and of those nine million, 58,156 were killed or declared missing in action ("Vietnam War Statistics."). Of the 58,156 soldiers killed, 11,465 of them were under the age of twenty ("Statistics about the Vietnam War"). After surviving the war, Tim O’Brien and Susan O’Neill wrote short stories and novels including Tim O’Brien’s â€Å"The Things They Carried†, and Susan O’Neill’s â€Å"The Boy from Montana†. By putting audiences in the shoes of the grunts led by Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and the surgical gloves of Agnes Reedy, Tim O’Brien and Susan O’Neill immortalized the st ruggles experienced by their compatriots and themselves. â€Å"The things they carried† is a short story about Lieutenant Jimmy Cross leading his men through Vietnam. O’Brien describes all of the things carried by the men as a way to symbolize all of the burdens they had. One thing that Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carries is a pack of letters from Martha, a girl he was in love with (O’Brien). One night Ted Lavender, one of the men in Lieutenant Cross’s squad, left to use the bathroom and on his return, is shot and killed (O'Brien).This causes Cross to realize that his main priority is to lead his men, not swoon over a woman (O'Brien). â€Å"The Boy from Montana† is a short story about Agnes Reedy’s account of watching a boy die in the field hospital she worked at in Vietnam. She says that she thought that all death was the same, but one day s... ...Short Stories of Vietnam. New York: Ballantine, 2001. 3-11. Print. Roush, Gary. "Statistics about the Vietnam War." Vietnam Helicopter Flight Crew Network (VHFCN). 2 June 2008. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. . Taormina, Agatha. "Author Profile: Tim O'Brien." Northern Virginia Community College. Www.nvcc.edu, 10 Mar. 2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2012. . "Tim O’Brien Interview: The Things He Carried." Interview by David L. Edelman. Wordpress, 19 Oct. 1994. Web. 17 Mar. 2012. . "Vietnam Veteran's Terminology and Slang." VIETNAM VETERANS HOME PAGE. 22 Mar. 2000. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. . "Vietnam War Statistics." The Mobile Riverine Force Association. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. .