One way Tim O’Brien expresses the fear of showing weakness is through himself, when he decides to go to war because he is embarrassed to be talked about. Tim is afraid of what the people in his town will say about him if he runs away to Canada to avoid the draft. Tim is not the only one who feels this way; he thinks, "It was what brought [the soldiers] to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor”(O’Brien 21). It is interpreted as a dishonor to your country to run away from war. The men only went to war because they were afraid to go against what was expected of them. Tim had the opportunity to escape the draft when he ran away, but instead he returned to his hometown and the United States. This fear of showing weakness is …show more content…
Consequently, Tim goes to war he is shot, he sees gruesome things, and it is hard for him to function. When Tim runs away to the cabin right on the edge of Canada and the United States, he decides, "I would go to war-- I would kill and maybe die-- because I was embarrassed not to”(Page 59). Tim goes against what he wants and goes to war because doesn’t want to appear weak. The fear of looking weak shapes how he makes his decisions. Being afraid of appearing weak shapes how the characters behave in The Things They Carried, especially Tim O’Brien when he decides to go to war to avoid embarrassment.

Furthermore, the men of the Alpha Company act manly or dauntless around each other because they are afraid of appearing weak. Curt Lemon, one of the most masculine men of the Alpha Company, was afraid of the dentist and faints when it is his turn to see the dentist. He was ashamed