The Fear of Reputation; Reputation vs. Well Being
With the way society currently functions, individuals are judged on their appearances and actions, however soldiers are molded to have the same features, uniform, and purpose there is nothing to judge except the people themselves. This is the case for all the soldiers in Vietnam but specifically the Alpha Company of Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. The soldiers in the company bond while serving in Vietnam. However, regardless of how close they become, they always have the inclination to never show fear or weakness and always attempt to maintain their reputations. The soldiers within The Things They Carried struggle to determine what is more important to them, their reputation or well being. This concept brings up the questions: How does Tim O’Brien depict the role of reputation within The Things They Carried and to what extent do the soldiers go to in order to …show more content…
For example, while in combat, Tim O’Brien is shot in the buttocks and the new medic Bobby Jorgenson freezes in fear and is not able to respond to Tim quickly enough for him to have a swift recovery or even recover correctly. Additionally, when Jorgenson does try to help, he fails to treat Tim for shock almost costing O’Brien his life. After Tim O’Brien’s episode, Tim felt the need to salvage his reputation so he and Azar plot to scare fellow comrade Jorgenson. While the prank is going on, O’Brien has a breakdown after hearing what sounded like gunshots. Azar looked at him, “... with a mixture of contempt and pity. After a second he shook his head. ‘Man, I'll tell you something. You're a sorry, sorry case’” (O’Brien 144). Despite O’Brien stooping to attempt to regain his reputation as one of the company, in a twisted turn of events, he only makes himself look even