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macyreads_21's review
4.0
I had to read several of these short stories for my Comp II class, and they were actually really well done. My review is really long, and it is mostly just an analysis of some of the stories in the book + a content warning.
Content: there is mention of violence (several stories take place during war) F***; S***; and H*** were mentioned a few times in several of the stories. Rape is mentioned not graphically, but the reader is made aware that it has happened to the character and that she has to deal with the psychological aspects of it.
The Angled City ~ N, the protagonist in The Angled City, is an individual man who wishes to be invisible. Throughout the story, he is moving deftly to avoid being spotted. He has sharp eyes and is always watching out for people who may spot him or for his next target. N feels out of place, yet he also feels like he has been to the place he was in the story, “he remembers this building without being able to place it exactly.” N is a man who views himself as above or more sophisticated than those around him. When he interacts with Fang, he has a condescending tone and mentality. Though he tries to think he is better than his peers, N has become lonely trying to isolate himself, and he poured himself out to Fang once N knew him, “He was so unaccustomed to company that words poured forth in an unstoppable stream.” His individuality is N’s focus, and it is what allows him to survive.
Surveillance ~ The protagonist in Surveillance, the photographer, was a loving invisible man who enjoyed being behind the scenes, but unconsciously wanted to be recognized. The photographer has been working so much on Lena’s case that he falls in love with her. He has been an invisible character for his whole life. When he falls in love with Lena without having met her, it reflects his character as someone who sees but is not seen. His career choice also shows this, because photographers are not seen in pictures, yet by being a photographer he sees everything. The protagonist is an empathetic man. He was glad to avoid rummaging through Andrei’s apartment, and he struggled to destroy his pictures of Lena when the case closed. He cares deeply for others yet receives no attention from another person. At the end of the story, it is revealed that Lena knew the photographer was following her on the tram. She had been his focus, she consumed his thoughts at every moment, but he thought he was invisible. She may not have known he was photographing her the entire time, but at some point, she figured him out. If he had given up his cloak of invisibility and stepped out from behind the lens of his camera, she may have given him attention as he had been doing for monthsThe Daughter ~ In The Daughter, Sasa, the protagonist, loved her life but was too controlled by the antagonistic men in her life. It was explained in the short story that men were expected to go to war, and school was only for women (Brkic 130). When Sasa tries to follow her dreams of becoming a veterinarian, her father’s impressive reach into her life impedes her efforts. Sasa and Lajla are similar in this way. They were both tormented by the men who tried to control them. Sasa fought against her father by studying to become a veterinarian even when he paid Sasa’s teacher to give her excellent grades. Sasa held on to the evidence that her father was a murderer, despite being told by her parents to forget about the papers (Brkic 136). She rebelled against them so that her life could be her own. Lejla repeatedly told herself that her baby was the daughter of her husband regardless of how many times people told her it was the child of the soldier who used her. Even the men the women chose to date were looked down upon. Sasa’s father disagreed with the career choice of Sasa’s male friends, and Lajla’s father doubted the genuineness of Lajla’s boyfriend (Brkic 130, 10 &11). Both women rebelled against who their society and their family thought they should be so that they could achieve their goals.
In The Jasmine Shade ~ Lejla, the protagonist in In the Jasmine Shade, wanted a simple life, but because of the war going on outside her home had to strengthen herself by using imagined self-harm to survive her mental battles. Lejla dreamed that she killed herself in various ways every night, and every time the soldier would use her for his pleasure. She told herself that the baby she was carrying was her husband's, Lejla spoke to her baby to comfort herself for her guilt over not telling her husband she was pregnant, and she reminded herself of songs to focus her thoughts (Brkic 12, 13). Lejla's purpose in the short story was to find her husband and have a family with him. Both Lejla and Sasa used their death to achieve their goals, though one was mental, and one was literal. Among other imagined deaths, Lejla impaled herself on part of the mosque where she had been separated from her husband in her dreams to ease her mind from the reality she was enduring (Brkic 17). When the soldier used her for his sexual desires, she wanted to kill him, but because she could not, she killed herself as a coping mechanism instead. Sasa used a literal death to escape her controlling father. After she finally embraced that the light outside her door would stay put out, Sasa took her light into her control and turned it off for good (Brkic 137). Though she died several times in her imagination, Lejla in reality survives her story. In the end, both women freed themselves from their problems by dying somehow.
The Things They Carried ~ There are many characters in The Things They Carried, but Lieutenant Cross was probably the most influential of the soldiers in the story, which only added to the weight he carried. When he was first introduced to the reader, he is a soldier second and a young man in love first. The heaviest thing he had been carrying was the letters from the girl he loved (O’Brien, “Things” 1). He knew that she did not reciprocate the feelings of love back to him, but he liked to distract himself with thoughts of her and being with her. Through the first half of the story, it is almost as if Cross is living a simple life safe at home. Instead of as he was, away in Vietnam risking his life and the lives of those around him, “By daylight they took sniper fire, at night they were mortared, but it was not battle, it was just the endless march, village to village, without purpose, nothing won or lost” (O’Brien, “Things” 8). It was as if the weight of what they were doing had not set in, and they did not yet realize that “they carried their own lives. The pressures were enormous” (O’Brien, “Things” 8). It was immature of Cross to lose focus of their mission by indulging his imaginative lusts when he should have been leading his men. These negligent actions would later add to the things he carried. Gradually, Lieutenant Cross felt every ounce of the weight he carried. When Lavender was killed, he felt that weight more than that of the equipment he carried, “(Lt. Cross) felt shame. He hated himself. He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence, Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war” (O’Brien, “Things” 9). It took Lavender's death to make Cross face that Martha did not love him and to also face the responsibilities that were right in front of him. He understood. It was very sad, he thought. The things men carried inside. The things men did or felt they had to do” (O’Brien, “Things” 13-14). Cross had addressed the most prominent obstacle that had stood in his way, but he still had to carry the weight of Lavender’s death and the responsibility of his men's lives. Though it appeared that he carried mere equipment, he also held the heavy burden of pain, memory, grief, mystery, terror, and love that his men did.
Content: there is mention of violence (several stories take place during war) F***; S***; and H*** were mentioned a few times in several of the stories. Rape is mentioned not graphically, but the reader is made aware that it has happened to the character and that she has to deal with the psychological aspects of it.
The Angled City ~ N, the protagonist in The Angled City, is an individual man who wishes to be invisible. Throughout the story, he is moving deftly to avoid being spotted. He has sharp eyes and is always watching out for people who may spot him or for his next target. N feels out of place, yet he also feels like he has been to the place he was in the story, “he remembers this building without being able to place it exactly.” N is a man who views himself as above or more sophisticated than those around him. When he interacts with Fang, he has a condescending tone and mentality. Though he tries to think he is better than his peers, N has become lonely trying to isolate himself, and he poured himself out to Fang once N knew him, “He was so unaccustomed to company that words poured forth in an unstoppable stream.” His individuality is N’s focus, and it is what allows him to survive.
Surveillance ~ The protagonist in Surveillance, the photographer, was a loving invisible man who enjoyed being behind the scenes, but unconsciously wanted to be recognized. The photographer has been working so much on Lena’s case that he falls in love with her. He has been an invisible character for his whole life. When he falls in love with Lena without having met her, it reflects his character as someone who sees but is not seen. His career choice also shows this, because photographers are not seen in pictures, yet by being a photographer he sees everything. The protagonist is an empathetic man. He was glad to avoid rummaging through Andrei’s apartment, and he struggled to destroy his pictures of Lena when the case closed. He cares deeply for others yet receives no attention from another person. At the end of the story, it is revealed that Lena knew the photographer was following her on the tram. She had been his focus, she consumed his thoughts at every moment, but he thought he was invisible. She may not have known he was photographing her the entire time, but at some point, she figured him out. If he had given up his cloak of invisibility and stepped out from behind the lens of his camera, she may have given him attention as he had been doing for monthsThe Daughter ~ In The Daughter, Sasa, the protagonist, loved her life but was too controlled by the antagonistic men in her life. It was explained in the short story that men were expected to go to war, and school was only for women (Brkic 130). When Sasa tries to follow her dreams of becoming a veterinarian, her father’s impressive reach into her life impedes her efforts. Sasa and Lajla are similar in this way. They were both tormented by the men who tried to control them. Sasa fought against her father by studying to become a veterinarian even when he paid Sasa’s teacher to give her excellent grades. Sasa held on to the evidence that her father was a murderer, despite being told by her parents to forget about the papers (Brkic 136). She rebelled against them so that her life could be her own. Lejla repeatedly told herself that her baby was the daughter of her husband regardless of how many times people told her it was the child of the soldier who used her. Even the men the women chose to date were looked down upon. Sasa’s father disagreed with the career choice of Sasa’s male friends, and Lajla’s father doubted the genuineness of Lajla’s boyfriend (Brkic 130, 10 &11). Both women rebelled against who their society and their family thought they should be so that they could achieve their goals.
In The Jasmine Shade ~ Lejla, the protagonist in In the Jasmine Shade, wanted a simple life, but because of the war going on outside her home had to strengthen herself by using imagined self-harm to survive her mental battles. Lejla dreamed that she killed herself in various ways every night, and every time the soldier would use her for his pleasure. She told herself that the baby she was carrying was her husband's, Lejla spoke to her baby to comfort herself for her guilt over not telling her husband she was pregnant, and she reminded herself of songs to focus her thoughts (Brkic 12, 13). Lejla's purpose in the short story was to find her husband and have a family with him. Both Lejla and Sasa used their death to achieve their goals, though one was mental, and one was literal. Among other imagined deaths, Lejla impaled herself on part of the mosque where she had been separated from her husband in her dreams to ease her mind from the reality she was enduring (Brkic 17). When the soldier used her for his sexual desires, she wanted to kill him, but because she could not, she killed herself as a coping mechanism instead. Sasa used a literal death to escape her controlling father. After she finally embraced that the light outside her door would stay put out, Sasa took her light into her control and turned it off for good (Brkic 137). Though she died several times in her imagination, Lejla in reality survives her story. In the end, both women freed themselves from their problems by dying somehow.
The Things They Carried ~ There are many characters in The Things They Carried, but Lieutenant Cross was probably the most influential of the soldiers in the story, which only added to the weight he carried. When he was first introduced to the reader, he is a soldier second and a young man in love first. The heaviest thing he had been carrying was the letters from the girl he loved (O’Brien, “Things” 1). He knew that she did not reciprocate the feelings of love back to him, but he liked to distract himself with thoughts of her and being with her. Through the first half of the story, it is almost as if Cross is living a simple life safe at home. Instead of as he was, away in Vietnam risking his life and the lives of those around him, “By daylight they took sniper fire, at night they were mortared, but it was not battle, it was just the endless march, village to village, without purpose, nothing won or lost” (O’Brien, “Things” 8). It was as if the weight of what they were doing had not set in, and they did not yet realize that “they carried their own lives. The pressures were enormous” (O’Brien, “Things” 8). It was immature of Cross to lose focus of their mission by indulging his imaginative lusts when he should have been leading his men. These negligent actions would later add to the things he carried. Gradually, Lieutenant Cross felt every ounce of the weight he carried. When Lavender was killed, he felt that weight more than that of the equipment he carried, “(Lt. Cross) felt shame. He hated himself. He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence, Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war” (O’Brien, “Things” 9). It took Lavender's death to make Cross face that Martha did not love him and to also face the responsibilities that were right in front of him. He understood. It was very sad, he thought. The things men carried inside. The things men did or felt they had to do” (O’Brien, “Things” 13-14). Cross had addressed the most prominent obstacle that had stood in his way, but he still had to carry the weight of Lavender’s death and the responsibility of his men's lives. Though it appeared that he carried mere equipment, he also held the heavy burden of pain, memory, grief, mystery, terror, and love that his men did.
enoughgaiety's review against another edition
3.0
A solid collection of short stories about the importance of memorialization in the face of trauma and impermanence. Vaguely reminiscent of [b:The Things They Carried|133518|The Things They Carried|Tim O'Brien|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1297915473s/133518.jpg|1235619] in its use of an authorial stand-in, its structural principles, its commitment to remembering atrocity, and its faith in the reconstructive power of storytelling.
mikeblyth's review against another edition
5.0
I agree with all the positive comments of others but I would stress that the book's value is not only, or even mainly, in its thematic content on the horrors of war in general or this war in particular. The stories are also worth reading just because of their haunting, usually understated windows into the inner lives of people in extreme stress. The tone is pretty much one of despair and emptiness throughout--don't go here looking for inspiration or heroism. Endurance and survival are the most to be expected, and those are shaky at best. Within that limited perspective, though, the stories are very readable, insightful, troubling, and memorable.
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