Skip to main content

Why did Norman Bowker not pull over and talk to Sally Kramer?

The story "Speaking of Courage" in The Things They Carried is about the difficulty of both speaking and courage. In it, we follow Norman Bowker as he drives around and around the lake in his hometown, thinking about the war and the moment his courage failed him and he could not save Kiowa. It's clear that he feels guilt about this and even more clear that he needs to talk about it, and the war in general, as he keeps fantasizing about doing so.

He imagines going to his ex-girlfriend Sally's house to talk to her, keeping things light and not talking about the war too much, just showing off his wartime trick of being able to tell the exact time without a watch. He decides not to, though, saying,



"She looked happy. She had her house and her new husband, and there was really nothing he could say to her."



Like many of the soldiers who returned home after the Vietnam War, Bowker is having a difficult time reconciling his wartime experiences with everyday reality in America. Sally, with her nice house and new husband, cannot exist in the same world where Norman Bowker stood in a field of sewage and made the choice to let go of Kiowa and save himself. The war has made him an outsider in his hometown.


In the next story, "Notes," O'Brien tells us that Norman Bowker asked him to write a story about a man who feels like he's still stuck in the war and talks about how hard a time he's had adjusting. O'Brien realizes that telling stories has been a way to reconcile his war experiences, and that Bowker doesn't have any similar outlet to process war with. When he asks O'Brien to write the story, he says,



"This guy wants to talk about it, but he can't [...] I'd write it myself except I can't ever find any words, if you know what I mean, and I can't figure out what exactly to say. Something about the field that night. The way Kiowa just disappeared into the crud. You were there—you can tell it."



When O'Brien doesn't get it quite right, Bowker eventually hangs himself. His inability to open up and talk or write about his wartime experiences has allowed them to consume him.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can you analyze the poem "Absolution" by Siegfried Sassoon?

Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and... Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and the v...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more