Motif

The phrase, "they carried", is repeated over and over again in the book. This phrase is also within the title of the book. The phrase pulls the reader into the war, causing a better understanding of the realities of war. While the beginning of the book uses the phrase most often, I noticed it seemed to be implied throughout the rest of the book. The book goes back and forth between the then and now. Tim O'Brien was in the war and then the story goes to the present time as he thinks about the war. The story follows some of the characters and for Norman Bowker, he carried guilt for letting his friend go. He later hangs himself. The books relates how one event can change lives and alter personalites. The war changed people and they will always have to live with the memories of the war.