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  • Essay / The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien - 551

    “I Wasn't Afraid” (Page 135) as Paul Berlin; a soldier from the Vietnam War, keeps repeating himself. Paul Berlin is drafted into the US Army to fight in the Vietnam War against the Vietnamese Communists, which then leads him to realize how brutal and violent a war could be. After being in the war on his first day and witnessing a person's death and holding a fully loaded gun for the first time in his life, Paul Berlin was overcome with fear and anxiety. Paul Berlin never wanted to take anyone's life, but he was forced to join the American army. Paul must try to overcome fear and fight to meet the challenges that await him. Through the story “Where Did You Go Charming Billy” Paul Berlin is a coward but at the same time ambitious and tries to fulfill his duties. In the eyes of his comrades, it is difficult for them to believe that Paul Berlin is a coward, a soldier who is afraid of war and death, but Paul tries to hide his feelings and fear deep within himself. Paul has to walk a lot during the war, every year....