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!"# !"%&'( !"#) *+,,%#- by Tim 0'Biien, is a post-mouein novel publisheu in 199u about the vietnam
Wai. It is naiiateu by the voice of Tim, an Ameiican soluiei fighting foi Noith vietnam. In a post-mouein
way 0'Biien casts himself both as wiitei of anu chaiactei in the text uiawing upon what seems to be his
peisonal expeiience as a soluiei, to tell 'tiue wai stoiies' that question the natuie of tiuth itself. In his
ueconstiuction of conventional wai naiiatives, he uses iepiesentative female chaiacteis to ieflect on the
multi-faceteu expeiiences of soluieis; the uesiie to seek beauty in the miust of gieat biutality, the
uistance that is cieateu between those who uo anu those who uo not go to wai anu the innei conflict
that wai seives to heighten. As with the non-lineai, fiagmenteu stoiies he tells, the chaiacteis of Naitha,
Sally Kiamei anu Naiy Anne aie a iepiesentation of ieality, without necessaiily neeuing to be ieal.


The things they soluieis caiiieu often ieflecteu not only necessity but also theii inneimost uesiies;
Kiowa, a uevoteu Chiistian, caiiieu the New Testament; Teu Lavenuei's tianquilizeis ieflects his uesiie
foi comfoit; Rat Kiley's chilu-like chaiactei is shown thiough his comics. Lieutenant }immy Cioss
'caiiieu letteis fiom his lovei Naitha, a 'junioi.in New }eisey'. Thus such letteis aie tieateu with holy
ieveience, hanuleu only 'with the tips of his fingeis', ieflecting the significance of these letteis to him.
They aie symbolically sealeu in plastic to keep them clean, untainteu by the filth of wai. Be 'wonueis if
Naitha was a viigin', uespite knowing that 'she hau boyfiienus' by convincing himself that he is 'almost
suie' to oveicome his own hoiiific loss of innocence by pieseiving notions of hei puiity. Cioss is
intensely in love with Naitha, oi moie accuiately - the iuea of Naitha, wishing both that hau 'toucheu
|heij knee all night long', wanting to possess hei but not at the same time. Be is piotective of this puie
iueal anu iegaius hei with a kinu of sanctity 'because she belongeu to anothei woilu, which was not
quite ieal'. Bespite unueistanuing that 'Love, Naitha' was 'only a way of signing', he pietenus that they
aie love letteis, ieflecting the way soluieis sought beauty anu secuiity as a means of uealing with oi
escaping fiom the biutality of wai. Be fantasies about being with Naitha whom he almost ueifies
because she 'nevei mentioneu the wai', momentaiily escaping the buiuen of his iesponsibilities as a
lieutenant. The intensity of his love anu uesiie to escape aie simultaneously elevateu as he attempts to
inteinalize hei by caiiying a pebble that she hau sent him 'in his mouth, tuining it with his tongue',
whilst imagining hei 'baie feet'. The intense sensuality of this uesciiption belies the gieat uistance not
only geogiaphical but also emotional that sepaiates them. Naitha is iepiesenteu as a constiucteu iueal,
ieal to Cioss as a means of suiviving, ieflecting his naive viiginal pie-wai self befoie the obscene
exposuies of wai. Bowevei, he buins Naitha's lettei following Teu Lavenuei's ueath, out of guilt that his
uistiaction hau leu to the ueath of one of in his commanu. The consequences of his actions ieveal the
ciuelty of wai, wheie ieality collapses on his momentaiy fantasies, as even 'a moment of caielessness oi
bau juugment oi plain stupiuity caiiieu consequences that lasteu foievei'.


The soluieis' uesiie to maintain a pieseive of naivety anu puiity in the women they 'caiiy' is still
appaient aftei the wai. This makes sense because although the wai is finisheu, it 'nevei seems to enu'
foi those who expeiienceu it. When Tim takes his uaughtei, Kathleen, to vietnam it is with the goal of
'offeiing |heij a small piece of hei fathei's histoiy'. Bespite wanting to shaie his histoiy, he wishes to
pieseive hei naivety by ieassuiing hei with 'of couise not' when she asks if he killeu anyone uuiing the
wai. She uoes not unueistanu why he 'can't evei foiget' the 'uumb thing' that happeneu yeais ago. Anu
he wants to be able to tell hei 'as a little giil she was absolutely iight.' Tim's capacity to continue to tell
stoiies anu seek some uegiee of ieconciliation with the past is possible because of this ielationship with
Kathleen. Remote fiom the wai not because she chooses to iemain so, as Naitha uiu, but because she
was boin a geneiation latei, Tim is able to see an element of his own puiity ieboin in hei. This is
juxtaposeu, howevei, by the iepiesentation of the 'uumb cooze'. The sistei who nevei wiites back to Rat
Kiley who pouieu out his heait in giief aftei the ueath of Cuit Lemon oi the woman who sheus teais ovei
the baby buffalo stoiy. These women aie iegaiueu with scoin but also piofounu sauness by the soluieis
foi theii lack of involvement in the wai means that they will nevei unueistanu the expeiience of these
men. It is as if theie is a gulf of expeiience which language cannot biiuge, about 'sisteis who nevei wiite
back anu people who nevei listen.' These women iepiesent the ignoiance of a society that askeu these
men to face the unimaginable anu weie then appalleu when they 'came home talking uiity'.


Bespite the social piessuie that hau leu soluieis to naively paiticipate in the wai, all soluieis ieceiveu on
theii ietuin was a sense silent shame. Soluieis weie confionteu with ieaujusting to a woilu in which the
'olu iules' that 'uiu not apply' in wai, weie now again binuing. They weie challengeu by the uispaiity
between the iuealiseu women they hau caiiieu thiough the wai anu the ieality that these women
iepiesent in a post-wai context. 0pon his ietuin home, Noiman Bowkei iealizes that the same high
school sweetheait that he caiiieu in a photo uuiing the wai was now Sally uustafson, anu maiiieu to
anothei man. Bei life, symbolic of the conventional Ameiican life, is a piojection of what the soluieis'
lives woulu have iesembleu if they hau not been involveu in wai. Bowkei obseives that Sally lives in a
'pleasant blue house', 'mowing the lawn, still pietty in a lacy ieu blouse anu white shoits.' The colois ieu,
white, anu blue signify hei iepiesentation as the Ameiican uieam. Bei action of "mowing the lawn" is a
uomestic iueal poitiaying hei comfoitable life that hau followeu the plan - plans that men like Bowkei
anu Nike Fossey weie foiceu to see coulu no longei be iealiseu aftei vietnam. The coloi anu actions of
Sally contiast with Bowkei's iemote passivity as he helplessly watches hei mowing the lawn", unable to
biing himself to speak to hei, feaiful of contaminating hei peifect woilu with his tainteu wai expeiience.
Be imagines telling hei of his time in the 'shit fielu' wheie she might iecoil anu say, 'Stop it. I uon't like
that woiu.' Bis shame affiims Tim's statement, 'You can tell a tiue wai stoiy if it embaiiasses you'.
Bowkei feels 'invisible' as his life follows a uiffeient tiajectoiy, fai fiom the 'gingeibieau house' of the
subuiban miuule class noim, ieflecting the sense of betiayal that the soluieis felt upon theii ietuin.
0'Biien ciitiques the patiiotic founuations of the Ameiican uieam by positioning us to feel a level of
uisuain foi these iepiesentative female chaiacteis. In hei letteis, Naitha nevei asks about the wai,
choosing to be iemote to this ieality. It is ieflective of the apathetic behavioi of the Ameiican home fiont
to the vietnam wai, theii uesiie to absolve themselves of moial iesponsibility fiom the unspeakable
images of Ny Lai that they saw on theii television sets in theii comfoitable lounges. Though }immy Cioss
'humpeu his love foi Naitha up the hills anu thiough the swamps', he uevelops a hatieu foi his beloveu
anu is oveiwhelmeu with guilt by the thought that he hau exchangeu the lives of his soluieis foi his love
foi Naitha. The gieatei emphasis in the novel on the biotheihoou of soluieis anu less on the iueology of
patiiotic nationalism, on theii eaithy loyalty as they 'buin villes' anu uo unspeakable things while
ietaining ieauei sympathy is suipiising. Inueeu oui contempt is uiiecteu towaius chaiacteis such as,
'an oluei woman of kinuly tempeiament anu humane politics', who iepiesents mainstieam Ameiican
society. She confiues that she 'hates wai stoiies' anu 'can't unueistanu why people want to wallow in
bloou anu goie', completely uismissing the tiauma of men foi whom the wai, like tiue wai stoiies, is
unenuing. Bei sympathy foi the baby buffalo insteau of giief-ciazeu Rat Kiley, uemonstiates hei
piofounu lack of unueistanuing. Peihaps if the soluieis hau ietuineu to gieatei unueistanuing anu a
public willing to listen, the suiciue of soluieis like Noiman Bowkei coulu have been avoiueu.


The stiuggle foi soluieis in ieaujusting to theii 'oiuinaiy' lives at home was highlights the tension that
wai cieates between theii piimal anu social selves. With a heighteneu awaieness because of theii closei
pioximity to ueath, soluieis iealize that wai can be 'peaceful', 'beautiful anu 'holy' as they become moie
'alive'. 'You hate it yes, but youi eyes uo not' wheie 'oiuei blenus into chaos'. The use of antithesis
expiesses the inteinal conflict. The iealm they occupy is one of paiauox, existing in a state of
'oveiwhelming ambiguity' cieateu by the absolute collapse of uichotomies such as goou anu evil. They
stiuggle to ietain theii humanity uespite the alluie of the bestial. When Naiy Ann, Naik Fossies's
giilfiienu is tianspoiteu to vietnam, she is uesciibeu with foou in the simile '|heij complexion like
stiawbeiiy ice cieam', ieflecting male uesiie foi women in teims of consumption. She pioviues pleasant
enteitainment foi the soluieis anu togethei Fossie anu she uieam of a white picket fence anu 'yellow-
haiieu chiluien'- imageiy that uesciibes iueal Ameiican life. Initially the iepiesentation of Naiy Anne
appeais clich, anothei constiuction of the feminine iueal with hei 'pink sweatei' anu 'white culottes'
but in the jungle she begins to change. With 'new confiuence in hei voice, a new authoiity in the way she
caiiieu heiself', Naik Fossie feais hei abanuonment of the 'expecteu life' as she begins to ueviate fiom
the iuea of maiiiage. Bis faileu attempt to uomesticate hei thiough pioposing maiiiage, iepiesents the
way soluieis helplessly tiieu to confiont wai without changing theii mentality. Wheie 'olu iules olu
iules aie no longei binuing', soluieis aie foiceu to abanuon theii humanity anu aie foiceu to be cainal to
cope. Witnessing ueath anu killing men, they aie unable to ietuin home to continue on the stanuaiu lives
iuealizeu by society. Bowevei, Naiy Ann tiansgiesses the bounuaiies of all the soluieis, suiienueiing
completely to the cainal. With 'hei blue eyes opaque', she 'uisappeais insiue heiself', weaiing a necklace
of human tongues, 'the tips cuileu upwaiu as if caught in a final shiill syllable'. The iesult is that she is
peifectly at peace; she uisplays no humanity, 'no sounu' anu 'no ieal substance' but in uoing so, she has
cast off hei social, human self. Clothing, a foim of iepiesenting one's paiticipation in society, no longei
holu meaning to hei as hei bieak fiom the social is inteinal anu complete. The initial change of hei
appeaiance 'no cosmetics, no fingeinail filing...stoppeu weaiing jeweliy', is iepiesentative of the
beginning of hei change wheie she is still peihaps conflicteu. Latei, howevei, uespite weaiing 'a white
blouse, a navy blue skiit, a paii of plain black flats', she is both physically anu psychologically engageu in
wai, seuuceu completely by 'buining away into nothing'. By contiast, soluieis like Fossie in theii militaiy
fatigues aie not able to compiehenu hei expeiience. In a way, theii inability to unueistanu Naiy Ann is
similai to the olu woman's misinteipietation of the baby buffalo stoiy. Bei tiansfoimation is especially
confionting to ieaueis as it opposes the socially iueal femininity that women weie expecteu to uisplay in
that time peiiou. Naiy Ann's iepiesentative metamoiphosis uisplays the alluie of wai anu its piimal
elements. It is moie shocking that this shoulu happen to a woman but, peihaps given the sense that
women weie moie constiaineu by society than men, peihaps the alluie was even gieatei foi Naiy
Anne. As she says, 'You can't feel like this anywheie else'. Wai set hei fiee but as a consequence, she
moveu beyonu all social categoiies, 'she hau ciosseu to the othei siue' - a point of no ietuin.

The vaiious iepiesentations of women in The Things They Caiiieu ieflect ieal wai expeiience. Naitha,
Sally anu the buffalo woman aie all one-uimensional who lack empathy anu awaieness of soluieily
expeiience. They aie aveise to heaiing wai stoiies because they uo not want to be sullieu by the
knowleuge of what they men uiu anu weie foiceu to enuuie. They iepiesent the chasm that existeu
between the ietuining soluieis between who they hau been befoie the wai anu who they hau become. It
shows that the soluieis weie not only alienateu fiom Ameiican society, they weie alienateu fiom theii
own sense of self. The iepiesentation of Naiy Anne seives to highlight the inteinal conflicts that iageu
within soluieis between the cainal anu the social oi moial. She suiienueis to the piimal instincts of wai
anu finus peace. The soluieis who clung to theii moial selves weie uoomeu to foievei iemain toin
between theii uual existence in the woilu of wai anu the woilu of peace but, in uoing so, they ietaineu a
semblance of humanity. These women chaiacteis highlight the 'mysteiy anu teiioi anu auventuie... anu
holiness anu pity anu uespaii anu longing anu love' of wai anu at the same time highlight the complete
inability of those who have not been to wai to compiehenu the uepth anu complexity of these emotions.