The idea of morality during times of war is far from a black-or-white concept. It is more of a muddied, gray area in the middle. There isn’t a definitive right or wrong when it comes to war, as it depends on who’s view you choose to see it from. Author, Tim O’Brien recounts his experiences during the Vietnam War in the memoir titled “The Things They Carried.” This classic piece of literature only further proves the notion that war is a field of gray sprinkled with the blood of those who participated in it.
An example of how war is morally ambiguous is when Tim O’Brien tried to avoid the draft because he wanted to focus on his schooling. This can be perceived as morally wrong because O’Brien is supposed to be patriotic and fight for his country. However, this can also be seen as morally right because all he wanted to do was focus on his writings and work. O’Brien said that he was not meant for the war. In “On the Rainy River,” O’Brien says, “A million things all at once, I was too good for this war. Too smart, too compassionate, too everything. It couldn’t happen. I was above it.” He is saying that he is not born for the war.
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During times of war, participants may not think about their actions or reactions toward things. They are blind to what is right or wrong. In this case, it's about disrespecting the dead. In the book “The Things They Carried,” a soldier named Azar was cracking jokes about Kiowa’s dead body. Azar doesn’t respect the fact that his fellow partner is dead. In the text, it says, “Azar sighed. ‘Wasted in the waste,’ he said. ‘A shit field. You got to admit it, it’s pure world-class irony.” Azar thinks this tragedy is something to be taken lightly. Azar’s moral compass isn’t as noble as most people would assume a soldier to be.
Another example of disrespecting the dead is when Azar reenacted the little girl’s dance. In the book it says, “That night, after we’d marched away from the smoking village, Azar mocked the girl’s dancing. He did funny jumps and spins. He put his palms of his hands against his ears and danced sideways for a while, and then backward, and then did an erotic thing with his hips.” He said the dance looked like she was performing a ritual. Azar’s partner threatens to dump him in the well if he doesn’t get his act together but Azar doesn’t care. Little did he know, the dance was in memory of the little girl’s family who burned in the flames. She was the only survivor. This blatant disrespect of the little girl’s dead relatives just goes to show you how depraved war can make a man behave.
War is such a traumatic phenomenon that it can drive the best of men to act out of character. The short stories “Friends” and “Enemies,” tell the story of two soldiers who have some disagreements and end up hating each other. Dave Jenson breaks Lee Strunk’s nose after an argument over a knife. Long story short, Jenson breaks his nose to be even with Strunk. The story says, “Afterward, he crossed the perimeter to Lee Strunk’s foxhole. He showed him what he’d done and asked if everything was square between them. Strunk nodded and said, Sure, things were square.” In the end, Strunk and Jenson begin to trust each other and have each other’s back.
Furthermore, some soldiers just can’t handle the stress of war anymore. These men don’t want to be a part of the war. In the story “Night Life,” Rat Kiley is traumatized by all of the dead bodies around him. As a field medic, he is supposed to be used to the wretched aura of death but this time, it was too much. Kiley began to have visions of his own body on the ground with bugs crawling all over. Kiley was losing his mind. He decided the only way out was to intentionally hurt himself. In the book it says, “The next morning he shot himself. He took off his boots and socks, laid out his medical kit, doped himself up, and put a round through his foot. Nobody blamed him, Sanders said.” This shows how even the most optimistic of soldiers became battered and worn by the proverbial sea of war.
Thievery is an extremely morally ambiguous act, that is considered dishonorable amongst the soldiers’ ranks. The aforementioned altercation of Dave Jenson and Lee Strunk happened because of such an act. Strunk stole Jenson’s jackknife which led to Jenson breaking Strunk’s nose. After a while, Jenson was nervous that Strunk might come after him. Jensen then proceeded to break his nose to be even. After all of this conflict, Strunk just laughed. The book states, “But in the morning Lee Strunk couldn’t stop laughing. ‘The man’s crazy,’ he said. ‘I stole his f*cking jackknife.’” Theft is an act considered an affront to the soldiers’ brotherhood, and Strunk broke that covenant willingly. Strunk didn’t even feel any remorse for this action, even after being violently reprimanded by Jenson.
In “The Things They Carried,” author, Tim O’Brien shows how morality during war is very malleable. Morality during times of war, is going to be bent and shaped depending on the circumstance. It is not set to reside in a strict form of being. As shown previously by a multitude of instances in the text, acts considered to be rather extreme by the spectrum of our moral compasses were met with little to real resistance. It was either disregarded or reprimanded rather lightly.
A morally impactful moment in the story is when Tim O’Brien wants to dodge the draft. At face value, this seems like an insignificant storyline. However, I believe in the opposite of the matter. This moment, such a simple moment, carries so much weight because it confronts the reader with a reality that can or could one day happen to them. In today’s political climate, who knows when the next draft for war will come calling? This story presents a question to the audience, “Are you willing to give up your dreams and aspirations to fight for your country?” Tim O’Brien surely wasn’t, and he’s seen things that no person should ever have to see.
The situations with Azar for example, were completely despicable and degrading yet, he wasn’t legitimately admonished by his peers or superiors. The lack of respect Azar gave was clear that his actions were morally incorrect. This leaves a big impact on the audience because it shows how a person could disrespect the lives and deaths of others. Azar blatantly laughed at those deaths as if they were a joke. He did not acknowledge the fact that someone’s life was taken away from them because of something they weren’t responsible for.
Pain occurs when the body is subjected to fleets of discomfort and the brain is signaling to the body that it needs to escape from that discomfort. Unfortunately, soldiers cannot leave the discomfort. They are surrounded by it, engulfed in it. Why would a soldier subject themselves willingly to pain? In the novel, we see two instances of soldiers doing so. One case is, Jenson breaking his nose after an altercation with another soldier due to a feeling of reconciliation. The other is Kiley shooting himself in the foot as an act of self-preservation.
O’Brien shows how thievery in war is something not to take lightly. Even the smallest things can make a huge impact. For example, Strunk stole Jenson’s jackknife. Jenson responded violently and Strunk didn’t care. He stole the knife and didn’t think about the importance of the knife could've been to Jenson. Even after the situation, Strunk laughs in disbelief because of how big the conflict was of something so very small.
The novel “The Things They Carried” written by Tim O’Brien is a classic piece of literature that has a profound message on morality during times of war. This compilation of short stories told from O’Brien’s own experiences will forever stand the test of time as a commentary on war as a whole. When it comes to war, there isn’t a set ruling of right and wrong. Instead, morality is akin to an artist’s clay. It is to be shaped, bent, and formed but never to be in a permanent state of existence. Morality during times of war, is not a black or white concept. It is a grey field, dirtied by the blood of brave men.
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