"They carried the land itself- Vietnam, the place, the soil- a powdery orange-red dust that covered their boots and fatigues and faces" (O'Brien 14).
In this quote I believe Tim O'Brien doesn't only mean they carried the war of Vietnam physically but emotionally and mentally as well. Men would sometimes leave Vietnam in Vietnam and some would take it home with them. It was something they would never forget, even if they tried to repress the memory as much as they wanted. Vietnam was always there with the reddish dirt or with the memories.
I believe they didn't just carry the land. They were the land! They depended on the land to support them. It's brutal in Vietnam. The land secured them with camouflage and shelter. The land itself will always be a reminder to the men that fought in Vietnam. The colors that surrounded them will always trigger their memories whether it be good or bad. It is true how you said they carried the war of Vietnam physically, emotionally, and mentally. -Sydney Derrow
ReplyDeleteI think that they carried the land, without they land they would have had serious problems in the war. No matter what they see it always will remind them that they are in a war. I do think that the things that they carried are their own emotions and the things that keep them safe, like a "pebble" or what they think that can keep them safe. -Danny Schultz
ReplyDeleteI think that the author means that Vietnam was dirty and messy, and they would take home the pain that they suffered there with them. Brady- you said, "Sometimes men would leave Vietnam in Vietnam and sometimes men would take it home with them." I feel as though none of them could leave the war behind them because they were all changed by it and would never be the same again. They carried this war and the looks of the land after they destroyed it with them for the rest of their lives. -Caroline
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