9. What Tim O'Brien Carries

Like the rest of the war stories O’Brien carries the chapter, ‘The Man I killed’. This chapter states a burden O’Brien still carries today. By the repetition of the flaws to the man’s body and especially the star shaped hole, the reader can infer that this is a subject he ponders frequently. The guilt seems to seep through the pages as he tells the story of all this man could have been. This chapter clearly states the theme again. The past cannot be changed- there are things and memories we will carry until the day we die. O’Brien may not have been fond of sharing his escape to Canada with anyone, and the man he killed to his daughter. However, his courage, that courage he has been investing, shines through the pages of the book because he shares his deepest, darkest memories with anyone willing to read his work. Which, overall, shows an acceptance, a comfort with his past.