Ha Dao Writing from Within Mr. Reynolds Summer reading in class essay 1) O’Brien tells numerous stories from his past with the common factor of war or loss of loved ones. In the beginning of the story, O’Brien explains all the physical objects that the men carried during the war. He then moves on to several war stories, describing his experiences in Vietnam. These chapters present other intangible things that these soldiers also carried- such as Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’s loneliness. In these first few chapters he also depicts the setting in Vietnam. In the fourth chapter, “On the Rainy River,” O’Brien gives readers a glimpse into his life before the war, and tells of his almost escape to Canada after being drafted. O’Brien then moves back into war stories telling of the man he killed to Henry Dobbins carrying pantyhose around his neck. These semi-true stories further illustrate the extra emotional baggage these soldiers carried. In the chapter “Speaking of Courage,” O’Brien tells a fictional story of Norman Bowker trying to communicate his post-war feelings, and in the next tribute explains his tribute to Norman Bowker (who committed suicide.) O’Brien then tells of his post war life and of his trip back to Vietnam with his own daughter. When O’Brien is finished with war anecdotes, he tells one final story of how when he was nine, the love of his life, Linda, passed away. This final story brings the book to end with O’Brien explaining how stories help him survive because they give him an illusion of aliveness for those who have passed away and help lift the burden that he carries.

2) Throughout the entire book, the things soldiers carry to war appear as a major theme and they also portray soldiers’ feelings and hardship. Those men carry weight on their shoulder both figuratively and literally. The things the