In response to In response to The Things They Carried, Chapter 20: The Ghost Soldiers and Chapter 22: The Lives of the Dead

How did O’Brien’s injury impact his relationships with his platoon?

Tim O’Brien’s injury impacted how he was around his platoon members greatly. He states that he starts to become cold inside himself and he realized that he, “didn’t have that patriotic zeal anymore” since he was moved to a different company. He grew extremely envious of his platoon members because they were still experiencing the danger and adventure of combat. He started to become a different person altogether because he was so angry at Jorgenson, the medic that replaced Rat Kiley, for almost letting him die, and this drove much of his change in persona.

What is the significance of Linda and her story?

Linda is a significant character because she represents the war that everyone has inside themselves. She was a fighter; fighting for her life, but she was alone. She represents how the men felt in Vietnam because yes, they were all together fighting the same thing or they all agreed that they didn’t know what they were fighting, but each of them had their own different experiences and ways they were battling in Vietnam. There wasn’t a single person who would have the same exact experience that others could relate to, each situation was different.