Brian

Barnes
TTTC Timed Writing
Tim OBrien uses the element of time extensively throughout The Things They Carried.
The main character, Tim, is narrating the story in the 1990s looking back in time. Tim uses
flashbacks to tell his stories of his time during the Vietnam war.
Flashbacks are OBriens primary literary device, along with imagery, in The Things They

Monica Barnes 5/3/14 12:18 PM

Comment [1]: Too many his cut the his
before stories

Carried. Since the accounts provided are flashbacks and not recounts, the reader is given more
details because it is in the past, being told as if it were present. Thus, the reader is imerged in
the story and can receive more details.
Since Tim OBriens novel is not chronological and jumps from present to past, the text
can have different meanings. Time Periods cause different reactions to certain events. The
past can be looked on as positive or negative whereas present day there is a third, that being
neutral. As demonstrated in The Things They Carried, events that took place and actions that

Monica Barnes 5/3/14 12:25 PM

Comment [2]: were in the present
Monica Barnes 5/3/14 12:28 PM
Comment [3]: Is that the best word?

Monica Barnes 5/3/14 12:30 PM

Comment [4]: Needs to be lower case
Monica Barnes 5/3/14 12:34 PM
Comment [5]: Examples would be great

were committed take on new meanings and purpose.

Time is an interesting tool in literature. It can set a mood, give background information
and provide a setting. But time can also be used to share a message. Tim OBriens use of time
demonstrates all of these in The Things They Carried and contributes greatly to works of
literature.

Monica Barnes 5/3/14 12:48 PM

Comment [6]: Once again, include
example