Ambushed In “Ambush,” Tim O’Brien portrays his regret and uncertainty to a war memory in which he instinctively kills an enemy soldier (MS 7). O’Brien recounts a night when his platoon moves into an ambush site shortly after midnight. Around dawn O’Brien recalls the moment a young enemy soldier emerges out of the morning fog. Without thinking O’Brien pulls the pin on a grenade and throws without aim. Seeing the grenade, the enemy soldier drops his weapon and begins to run, with a puff of smoke the grenade explodes and the soldier falls to the ground. O’Brien continues, explaining the regret and uncertainty the act of killing the enemy soldier elicits and the way the soldier ambushes his mind for the rest of his life. O’Brien includes imagery, …show more content…
Following the action of throwing the grenade and watching the scene unfold before him O’Brien recalls his instant regret. (MS 8) He explains, “It occurred to me then that he was about to die. I wanted to warn him.” Through this sentence O’Brien sets a tone of the confusion. Conflicting feelings flew within his mind, but he could only manage to stand transfixed, watching the scene unfold. (MS 3) He threw the grenade before realizing the consequences his actions would create. The physical consequences the grenade would have on the enemy soldier and the mental consequences created within his own mind. O’Brien also demonstrates tone within his narrative through recounting the moment his partner attempt's to help him understand that killing is a part of war. Recollecting, “Kiowa tried to tell me that the man would’ve died anyway. He told me that it was a good kill, that I was a soldier and this was a war, that I should shape up and stop staring and ask myself what the dead man would’ve done if things were reversed.” Through his partner’s explanation, O’Brien sets the tone of regret. However, the enemy soldier lies dead and broken on the ground and O’Brien cannot shake the fact that he is the one that put him there (MS 6). O’Brien knows this is war and that killing is a part of it, but he cannot shake the fact that he