If I Die in a Combat Zone tells the personal story of author Tim O’Brien’s experiences as a soldier in the Vietnam War. The novel not only focuses on the daily events from face to face combat to hiding in fox holes, but it also follows O? Brien’s thought process from the moment he was drafted on. In If I Die in a Combat Zone, author Tim O’Brien argued that the Vietnam War was not only devastating in the physical effects but also in the mental effects it had on those fighting through his depictions of day to day events, how the soldier’s reaction to these events evolve, and soldier’s experiences of battling an internal struggle of right . rong. O’Brien demonstrates both the physical and mental effects the Vietnam war had on its soldiers through the depictions of day to day events.
The novel thoroughly describes the events that the soldiers faced while in Vietnam. O’Brien’s life was simple before the war, consisting of long days spent near the pond with his friends (pg. 18). This drastically changed after he was drafted. His normal now consisted of jumping to dodge bullets and running from snipers in insane heat. O’Brien learned that this was his life now. War weighed on his left leg with the hand grenades, radio, helmet, and dog tags (pg. 6). In Vietnam ne was required to remain on their toes, always watching for the simple things such as where to sit. The eyes had to be taped open, no blinking (pg. 27). Successions of explosions followed by yellow flashes accompanied by the sound of M-60 machine guns and M-19 automatic rifles surrounded him placed fear in his head (pg. 7, pg. 51).
Fear that turned sweet dreams into fantasies about being hunted instead of hunting, being attacked in the calm of night (pg. 91). Temporary relief in Alpha company gave him a vacation from the violence (pg. 9). However, this vacation was soon over as he went back to being terrified that he pain of getting shot would be unbearable as he would scream in agony and be left to wait for the medics after an intense battle (pg. 123). Days spent walking knowing he is surrounded by Bouncing Betties and booby-trapped artillery (pg. 139). Attacks were random and deadly. Many times the troops were caught in deep paddies surrounded by enemy troops. In these situations men shot their own men without realizing and ran over other men in the RPGS to retreat.
Men were buried and left behind as blood flooded into the field as medics were delayed from coming to the scene (pg. 152). These attacks were nevitable and left the men with a desire to be homeward bound or dead and shipped home (pg. 107). The harsh conditions, constant awareness, and deadly battles left a fear in the soldier’s heart alongside the scars on their bodies. In If I Die in a Combat Zone the mental effects the war had on many men is highlighted by the evolution of reactions to the events they face. As the novel progresses the way O’Brien thinks changes.
At the beginning of the novel O’Brien is set on anti-war. He believes that it is an unjust war that the United States has no position to be a part of (pg. 18). He ponders ways to escape the war, but the fact that his family has a history of veterans hangs over his head. Once at basic training, Tim faces thoughts of escape often and acts on them. He talks with others of his justification for being anti-war and makes an escape plan in response to the suffering he is facing already (pg. 67). As names became numbers, O’Brien’s heart turned more towards the idea of war.
Fighting became more natural as the days progressed, but the never ending thoughts of going home consumed him. His hatred for the war fueled an inner desire to return and tell of the horrid onditions, harsh people, and forget of the evils implanted on him (pg. 93). As mines exploded, toe poppers went off, and hand grenades were thrown fear consumed him until thoughts kept him awake thinking of himself being the next person to fall down. As time went on, the death and violence around him became something he could joke about with the other men (pg. 54). O’brien still struggled to find justification until he was moved to his desired position, the rear. Here he matured in his fighting and the war became dull. By the time his time in Vietnam came to a close, leaving the war did not cause joy nor ain. There was nothing left to long for at home and there was nothing to hold him in the foreign country. O’Brien simply gathers his things and boards a plane that carries him from a foreign place back to his home that he no longer finds comfort in (pg. 208).
O’Brien always finds the war an unjust scenario that the United States participated in, but as his time in Vietnam progresses he no longer focuses on the wrongs of the war and instead becomes neutral with the idea that fighting shows courage and that is what matters. Tim O’Brien argues that the the Vietnam War had more than just physical effects on the roops involved through the internal battle of right v. wrong he experiences during his time as a member of the military. From the moment he is drafted, O’Brien is against the war.
He knows it is his duty to go to the Vietnam and fight for his country, but at the same time he makes obscene posters in his basement declaring the war, the draft, and his town with their support are evil (pg. 20). While talking to a Chaplain O’Brien reveals his true problem with war is not one of fighting, but one of fear and intellect and being considered a hero (pg. 56). At basic training, he participated with one hundred percent from crawling under ire to chanting along with his fellow soldiers to convince himself that he is doing the right thing.
At night, however, his thoughts overtook him and plans for an escape filled his head. He had papers prepared along with a bus ticket for Canada ready. Once the opportunity came for him to escape, the thought of his country needing him to fight for them outweighed the thought of him needing to escape the evils he was participating in and he returned to basic training (pg. 67). O’Brien knew that this required courage and courage was more than just accepting the call to serve and facing the possibility of eath, it was serving with his whole heart every second of his deployment (pg. 141).
Yet, part of him still fought to go home, away from the violence. A sense of justification came from classifying the civilians that were being killed as killers themselves. Still, there were innocent civilians in the mix that he could not help but think of (pg. 198). At the same time he was doing something about an issue that bothered him rather than complaining. He was being tough and making things happen in order to protect his nation and become a hero (pg. 200). The constant forces of good and evil inside Tim O’Brien’s mind pulled im from side to side and messed with his ability to truly justify right v. rong.
Tim O’Brien writes of his personal experiences in the Vietnam War in his book If I Die in a Combat Zone. O’Brien writes of the daily activities and hardships he faced during his service, and allows the reader to follow his most intimate feelings and thoughts. The book’s argument made by Tim O’Brien is that the soldiers in the Vietnam War were not only physically impacted by their experiences, but also mentally impacted shown through his thorough descriptions of events, evolution of thoughts, and internal battles faced between the idea of right v. wrong.
