6. Literary Elements

Author's Purpose-Tim writes this to express and show what goes on in a war zone. He wants you to feel like you are there at the Vietnam War.
Tone-Tim writes out of anger and regrets. All through the book he shows where he could have done things better or that people would be alive if he would have done certain things.
Mood-As an audience member, I am shocked. Never could I have imagined the horror that goes on in a war like this.
Voice-The author's voice is regretful as well. .He tells his life through books because of his experience. All his stories are from being in Vietnam.
Inciting Force-In The Things They Carried, Kiowa and Mitchell Sanders were sitting in the marsh where they were looking at a picture of Sander's girlfriend. When they turned on the flashlight, that triggered a target for the enemy which cause them to fire. This action killed Kiowa.
Foreshadowing-Throughout this novel, there are numerous scenes that are telling of the ending. When doing this, the author leaves the reader in suspense wanting to know what happened for the scene to turn out the way that it did.
Flashback- Tim uses flashback when he takes his daughter back to Vietnam to their stationed site. Tim returns to the marshy mud and finds himself looking back on what happened to Kiowa.
Imagery- When Tim O' Brien writes to tell about a specific part of the novel, he often uses imagery. When they were in the mountains in Vietnam would be a great example.