The Things They Carried- Last Part: The True Tale

     All of the narratives finally come to an end with the end of the novel. Of course, Tim O'Brien will continue to imagine the events that have impacted his life, but the novel is done on a literary basis. The first story in the trio of the final three stories in the book talks about ghosts and imagination. Through telling his own story, a broader story about some aspect about war is told, in this case the power of imagination. In addition, Tim's own personal vendetta is broadened to cover the antipathy that soldiers can have for other comrades or former comrades is things go to awry. Most significantly, there is a lot of narrative that is directly claimed to be O'Brien's perspective. Although the previous story about going into a river to imagine old times mostly establishes this trend, O'Brien's life in the past is truly touched upon in this chapter. Such a trend will continue for the duration of the novel and with the last two chapters, luckily with the aspect of despising as something that O'Brien will not carry in this instance.
     In the next chapter about the night life a intimate tale is told about Rat Kiley and his struggles. In general, it seems that the stories become more personal as they go on, much like how stories in other novels are. The trend seems to be that as the novel progresses, more intimate moments of the characters are depicted and such a constitution seems to be what O'Brien has loosely based his organization on. More broadly, the order of the book can be seen as something akin to what a solder might have as their life story, with the more general events surrounding their life being presented before the relationships that connect the combatants are made more plain to the reader. Rat Kiley's shot on his own foot reflects this general theory as wounding oneself can be seen as a very embarrassing thing for a soldier and something that would be revealed nearly last. On the level of that of a life of a human, the night life is a reference to how soldiers or just humans try to cope with reality by making up certain things, especially when things are more mysterious like at night. It is also fitting that night would be one of the last things to be talked about, as it can be seen as intrinsic to humanity. In terms of the the life of O'Brien, the evacuation of Kiley being positioned nearly last can be seen as giving context so that the event makes more sense to the reader and also as something not easily revealed as it has to do with one of O'Brien's best friends in a rather awkward situation and as something that O'Brien carries close.
     The last story is the most intimate of all. It has to do with O'Brien's lost childhood love who dies. It is the most personal story possible for O'Brien because it reveals his most inner feelings and his most personal moment. At the same time, the story is also personal for a soldier as it shows what endures even when there is exchanged gunfire and wounds. Also, it is also a tale of humanity and what people remember in the darkest of times. It is the most intrinsic thing that one can carry, be one soldier, human or a less general person. Finally, the story shows how people recall the most precious parts of memory long into their lives. Emotionally, the story is touching as well as sobering. Finally, it seems that through telling this personal story O'Brien has less to carry.

The Things They Carried Pages 67-134: Inside Insanity

     These set of chapters are particularly disturbing and really go into depth exploring what can happen to a person when they peer to far into the darkness. Most prominently, Fossie's girlfriend Mary Anne loses herself to a freedom which she never had. As a result, she assumes a disturbing image that is darker and more wild, an effect that is enhanced greatly by her necklace made out of human tongues. What starts as a normal blonde going to Vietnam to see her boyfriend ends as a girl who runs away into the mountains like a feral animal, showing how the strangest of things can happen in Vietnam. The chapter is quite atmospheric, with references to darkness and jungle music that paints a very good image in the reader's mind. To an extent, the reader even feels the shock of Mary Anne's transformation.
     Furthermore, Henry Dobbins loses his girlfriend as well. He normally wraps her panties around his neck as a lucky charm. However, he gets dumped. Dobbins eventually overcomes the initial turn of of events and wears the panties anyway. Doing so illustrates how the soldiers cling to their pasts despite the past moving on from them, like when Jimmy Cross keeps his love as well. They retain a piece of their humanity in a way and in doing so keep their sanity. While the world may betray them, they will not betray themselves. Such an effect is not so much loyalty towards the people who abandon them, but towards there own constant image of themselves which lets them be alive in a human sense.
     The set of chapters concludes with the death of a young and seemingly inexperienced Vietnamese fighter. O'Brien is finally mentioned in a somewhat direct manner, but does not actually have dialogue. Instead, the story is a portrayal of his inner feelings. Through the story, O'Brien is shown to deeply regret killing the man, believing fervently that he killed a person that would otherwise have lived. There is a battle in O'Brien's head back and forth about whether he can forgive himself or not, showing that war is not something that one can forget. Kiowa shows up to comfort him by claiming that he would have died anyway by one of the members of the team, but the circumstances seem to indicate that such an event would be unlikely, considering that Kiowa is asleep during the confrontation. It seems instead that Kiowa comforts O'Brien, something apparently implied by how Kiowa keeps repeating the same thing despite not knowing anything about the situation. Friendships are a centerpiece of this set of chapters and the characters support one another in very troubling situations. Also, it seems that more is being developed when it comes to O'Brien and the soldiers in general. In accordance with such a trend, it seems likely that the bonds of the characters will be further built upon and O'Brien's character given solid elaboration. As the end approaches, the story is beginning to pick up and there seems to be care developing in what might transpire as the story comes to an end.

The Things They Carried- Pages 1-66

     At this point around page 66, about the first third of the novel, the narrative appears to be dark and morbid. In almost every chapter someone dies or at least is alluded to die, and even when there is no literal death mentioned, there is still the repeating concept of failure and cowardice. Although there is no clear order to the advancement of the novel's plot, it appears that the stories at least progress in terms of familiarity of names and character development, in a rough order of traditional importance. In the beginning the lieutenant, Jimmy Cross, is introduced. Much of the start appears to be told from his point of view, to such an extent that Tim O'Brien, the actual author and writer who was in the war, is not really highlighted. Later Cross's character is detailed.
     Soon, other characters are developed in the novel based loosely on the number of times they were mentioned in the opening parts. It appears that the book has more to do with the individual characters and their stories that perhaps all culminate to tell a larger message about some aspect of humanity given their primal tendencies in the frequently horrific situations that the soldiers are placed in rather than a more cohesive single tale about the writer. Another interesting detail is how the characters are put in more personal situations as time goes on with their section devoted to them. Rat Kiley is at first described to be a cheerful person, referred to as young and easygoing. Not too long after the death of his best friend Kiley slaughters a buffalo in what is likely the most gruesome scene in the first set of the novel.
     But when the characters lose something dear to themselves, they also move on. Cross has to by not thinking as much about his old crush while Kiley has to move on from the death of a fellow soldier and of his own brutality. Perhaps the end will converge to tie in all of these scarring events around the time the unit's time is done. Maybe all of this pain is due to the effort of trying to cope with something that is not a fight one should be forced to engage in only to bring enormous strife before a final rest. Then it seems that humanity needs to understand conflict among themselves to improve.

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien: Impressions from the First Chapter

     From the start of the first few pages it is clear that repetition will play a key part in the novel. Specifically, the repetition of things being carried and their respective burdens will hold special meaning in the book. It also appears that flashbacks and foreshadowing will be mixed in and probably also repeated given the reappearances of the time when the soldier got shot in the head. Flashbacks and foreshadowing will probably be used to develop the plot and theme, which appears to have something to do with people having to deal with various problems. A soldier has to carry things that other people do not, so the context will also almost certainly shaped in accordance with such a distinction in mind. The novel does not appear to be overly political as it takes no clear side on way or the other but rather tells the stories of the soldiers as a narrative, utilizing devices such as symbolism in order to convey certain aspects of the soldiers' stories and personalities. Although the ultimate point is not yet evident, it should become more plain as the novel progresses. As more of the soldiers and their experiences are detailed,  specific nature of the message should become apparent to readers.

The Handmaid's Tale Chapters 40-Epilogue: June's Story Stops

     June is finally freed of her struggles by all likelihood in the final set of chapters and the epilogue. No longer is she trapped by what seems to be at least in part a fable made by her to keep her sanity. Instead she is escorted by Eyes members who are apparently actually part of the Mayday liberation underground movement which secretly send females away from Gilead, most likely to England. The reader also obtains the final bit of exposition and information that is sparsely placed in the entirety of the novel. Characters get a small bit of extra detail with the Commander being revealed as helpless and weak while Serena Joy is depicted as extreme. Cora and Rita are more or less the same as always as they were described in the beginning, being caretakers of the house that had no palpable personality. 

     Perhaps the character to come out of the novel in the best light is Nick, who is shown to be a sort of hero who supposedly helps others out, being able to ascend and retain his post while taking pity on June, appearing to help her to boot. Where in the beginning he was mysterious and dull, at the end he seems complex. He is kind to June in the context of Gilead and offers to help her multiple times in his unfeeling way. Therefore it seems unlikely that he would betray her at the end when June is being carried away by Eyes as he was extremely kind to her otherwise, risking his status on several occasions. 

     Ambiguity is an important concept in the novel as shown by how the story is minimal, fragmented and even called into question at the end due to it being written by an unreliable narrator who almost certainly altered names for some reason. Apparently, the most likely scenario for June is that she was saved by the Eyes who shipped her off to England where she spent the rest of her life as a shell. Speaking in terms of personality, June would fit the possibility offered by Pieixoto and Wade, the two professors giving exposition to the tale. Based on June's actions and inner thoughts, she would not say anything to gather attention and prefer to try and play the survivor role, living out the rest of her life as a recluse. Maybe June had accepted the mentality of Gilead so much that she could not break out of it and still followed its creed by not saying anything that would be seen as inflammatory or she could be in shock. Regardless, June has achieved peace in the literary text and will now have a life that is finally resolved. 

The Handmaid's Tale Chapter's 30-39: June's Jejune Jubilation

    As the novel progresses, June's relationships with the Commander, with Moira, and with Luke are developed in a turn for the worse. There are now more hints that the commander does not think much of June except another Handmaid to enjoy as indicated by taking her to some sort of club and then spending the night with her with her not not altogether willing participation. In a rather perturbing way June's night with the Commander manages to be more disturbing then the Ceremony despite the build up and increased organic involvement, as if being genuine makes the situation more imaginable. Moira comes back in a strip club, the complete opposite place to where one would probably expect her to be considering her characterization as a strong, independent woman who dislikes men. There she wears some sort of a cheap bunny outfit and is seen just trying to survive, no doubt showing how ideals mean nearly nothing in a society in which livelihood has to be fought over. Luke, although not making a scene in the present, is seen in the past once more during the time when the escape attempt fails.
     Further unsettling is the mention of June's daughter being seen in the car just before the failed escape and then later in a white dress in a photo awaiting marriage, communicating the cold calculation that Atwood uses by giving little tidbits of information about characters, getting one involved with a character especially with a particularly interesting scene right before dashing those hopes when the character ends up in a situation some might describe as worse than death. June's mother is also all but confirmed to be dead given that she is confirmed by Moira to be in the Colonies cleaning up toxins until her body collapses. Even Janine loses her baby, apparently for the second time. Basically Atwood relay a depressing series of snippets that involve her characters with negative situations.
     Perhaps the only positives are Rita's now just barely casual talk with June and Serena's partnership with June to try and help fulfill the Handmaid's duty. However, the rest of the book will probably pick up considering that the final stretch is within sight. It seems unlikely that the resolution will be as gloomy given the importance of balance in a book that seems to be littered with troubling symbols. Apparently, June has all but accepted her fate, putting on only a facade to keep up appearances. To the very least June no longer seems bent on mentioning power every chance she can do it.

Handmaid's Tale Chapters 18-29: June's Acceptence and its Inure of Her Individual Situation

     As time goes on June's relationships becomes more intimate with the Commander. What is especially interesting is that the relationship is not inherently manipulative, but rather seems candid and casual on the part of both the Commander and June. The days of the two are spent on playing scrabble and similar word games. While June does not immediately come to a realization as to the nature of the relationship, being confused at first, she later grows accustomed to his company. June starts to cross her legs, melt into the sofa, and even ask like the Commander to an extent. In fact June begins to feel shy about the Ceremony that she, the Commander and his wife have. Even though June is trained to treat the Ceremony as an operation or a critical function that is by its nature mechanical, she believes that a certain feeling of awkwardness not present before has developed, a feeling that is apparently mutual on the part of the Commander as he reaches to unceremoniously touch her face. Near the end of the final chapter of the set, the Commander says that he is doing this as he believes he owes June something as he feels he is part of her systematic oppression.
      Of course there is some element of a romantic connection involved as he wants to make lip contact with June in a genuine way and still performs the Ceremony with her. It can also be just as likely that he wants to actually have a human connection with someone else or break taboos, a definite possibility given that he reveals that he used to be a schoolboy from whose books is imprinted the reoccurring Latin phrase which June so often remembers. Indeed it seems that it is likely to be a culmination of all 4 possibilities to varying degrees. To adapt June accepts whichever role she plays for the opportunity to have some control over her life and enjoy luxuries for her contemporary society that she would ordinarily never be afforded.
     Whilst June is becoming more accustomed with the Commander, she also remembers the time when the actual change of her society from that which the Western World of the late twentieth century might feel at home with to that of entrapment and religious radicalism. Her description of those days of stark change show how she lost her job for being a woman and how she also began to care less for her family while pitying her life. In reminiscing, June shows how the loss of power for women crippled them and herself.  It is no mystery then that June does not trust the other gender as they are seen to be ultimately manipulative, something that she does not necessarily fault them for as she accepts even her own stereotypical traditional view of herself. Perhaps some change in the somewhat undefined relationship of June and the Commander will advance the plot, or another revolution will be incited, or maybe she will attempt to run away or even all three will occur. At such a midway point, it is hard to ascertain the ending direction.

Handmaid's Tale Chapters 8-17: the Plot's Slow Unraveling

     Throughout the chapters more information is presented, although the feature that sets this section of the book from the previous one of seven chapters is the formation and sustained focus of a timeline going forward. As the first set focused on setting things up, this one tries to give momentum to the story line. Of course, as aforementioned, there is still the foundation and beginning of a story,  only in the next set the forward march of chronology is more tangible to the mind as it takes time to settle in to the compound narrative. The transitions between timelines, from past flashbacks to the present, are nearly seamless, although in order to implement such a sustained effect on the reader the pacing has to be rather slow. Consequently, the book moves in a steady, formulaic fashion that has purposeful references to the past woven in at intervals which the author presumably deemed most appropriate.
     In order to retain the reader's interest, the author also purposefully leads little tidbits of information through which the one reading may paint a picture that develops along with the progress of the plot. One example is how the protagonist's name is not revealed outright; instead, the reader is given a singular reference point that has multiple names in which the main character's name is also mentioned, albeit indistinguishable from that of the other girl's names in practice. Throughout the novel the name of the protagonist is never explicitly mentioned and thus the reader has purpose to continue reading as the intrigue to find out such a basic component of the narrative is nurtured. As the novel goes forward the names of other characters are revealed, allowing the reader to disqualify them as practical candidates as to the name of the protagonist. Such a writer's choice is very deliberate and profound, clearly portraying to the reader a reward of information in exchange for a continued engagement of interest.
     Another example of purposeful measures taken to sustain interest is how characters are developed. At the start the characters are relatively bland and raw, but as the novel develops-backward as well as forward- they exhibit more individualized features, such as the interest of Nick in the protagonist. By way of forming or revealing the more intimate relationships with or around the main character, the individuals are given more defined characteristics that make them more unique and memorable. Even though this practice of elaborating on characters is extremely common, it is especially important in a novel that depends on delivering information as a means of keeping interest. With the progression of the novel it is also becoming more evident that the protagonist is developing connections with other characters almost solely as a way of obtaining power, freedom or security, with the three rarely being simultaneous factors. Thus it may be reasonably predicted that some other relationship might form with the main character and someone of power as a way of leading up to the climax through the rising action of getting closer to such an event. Such a scenario seems to match up nicely with how the book is progressing up to this point and how it concludes the  second set of chapters. It should be interesting to see how the character, who seems to be heading towards a tragic ending, continues to live in the community.

Handmaid's Tale Chapters 1-7: a Radical Religion in the Form of Dystopian Literature With a Dash of Feminism

     From the outset the Handmaid's Tale has an interesting premise. It centers around a female protagonist with a unique dystopian background that has strong religious overtones. In addition, there are elements of feminism permeating from different sections. In fact, the very title is a testament to the novel's inherent feminism as a handmaid is, definition courtesy of dictionary.com, a subservient object or person. Such a role articulates well with Feminist Theory, which is undeniably at least partially focused around power, and more specifically control. Since the title has an occupation or rank instead of a name, the nature of the book is implied to be more of a focus on a general concept rather than an individual component. The lack of a name being accorded to the protagonist and narrator in the first set of seven (albeit short) chapters is further indication of this focus on a particular aspect of society rather than a necessarily character. Also, since the protagonist is not named in either the title or the first set, a sense of powerlessness is enhanced, along with the nature of the story being more representational than exceptional. Of course, a counter-point that may be argued is that the use of first-person narration serves to personalize the storytelling. Although this is true to some extent, it does far more to reinforce the feministic tendencies of the novel as an individualistic story communicates a loss of power better than one with multiple impersonal perspectives. Thus, rather paradoxically, feelings of impersonality and uniqueness clash as the two genres of literature, dystopian and feministic, meld together to try and express the points of both in a distinct, albeit idiosyncratic, way. 

      The first seven sets of chapters themselves mainly serve to establish the setting of the dystopian novel: some sort of an "American Dream" ideal suburb community, with Protestant religious zealotry (no offense to any religious denomination intended) determinant in clothing style from white wings covering female faces to red dresses representing mistresses, and a police state mentality encompassing everything, from the grunt-like Guardians to the patriarchal Commanders. In fact, the designation of supreme authority to an older man who commands all others and has several wives is a huge and prominent derivation of the views of contemporary Feminism, which often holds likewise older men to be manipulative and authoritative, especially in regards to females. Refocusing on setting, the community is likely located somewhere in the South as there was a mention to Baptists being killed somewhere near to them. Chronologically speaking, the timeline probably takes place during the late twentieth century or later due to the author publishing the book in 1985 and the reference to fairly modern schools with basketball hoops and gymnasiums. 

     In terms of characters, the protagonist seems to be more of an outlet to express feminist thoughts and fantasies, and therefore that of her whole group. It is her whole group as they are being herded as a collective and the narrator always tries to relate to them by putting herself in their shoes. There is not a lot of wholly unique personification occurring, although the narrator does try especially hard to be obedient and respectful to society to the point that it is inadvisable. The other girls, mainly Rita and Cora, are mentioned sparsely throughout. Rita seems to be a more rebellious and spirited girl, while Cora is characterized to be more level-headed, understanding the alternatives to a situation better than the more idealistic Rita. Aunt Lydia seems to be almost solely a medium of communication that transmits the traditional beliefs of the society, being a mentor figure to the protagonist. Serena Joy, or the Commander's wife, is someone who appears to have lost her flair and seems to be completely devoted to her husband, putting her full faith in the stereotypical doctrine of being a submissive wife. She smokes cigarettes, which are technically illegal but can apparently be bartered quite easily on black markets, but not with money as it has disappeared.  Cigarettes themselves can be viewed as a symbol of rebellion, something that would resonate especially well with feminism in the context of a dystopian society or indeed any human being in general. Nick seems like a person who sympathizes with and understands the protagonist, but is likewise afraid of getting caught. Ofglen is another Handmaid like the protagonist and appears to be similarly faithful to the beliefs of her society, though it is unclear whether she really believes it or is doing it mainly to not be singled out. Overall, the characters that have been elaborated on do not appear to be overwhelmingly individualistic and seem to serve as explanation of what to expect in the dystopian society. Perhaps future chapters will develop the personality of the aforementioned characters now that the background has been solidly set.