‘‘Where Have You Gone Charming Billy?’’ is the story of Paul Berlin’s first night in the Vietnam War. Paul Berlin is terrified. He is in a strange, dark landscape. Earlier that day, he witnessed the death of one of his fellow soldiers, a death made even more terrifying by the medic Doc Peret’s assertion that…
Tag: Tim O'Brien
Where Have You Gone Charming Billy? – Setting
Vietnam War The United States’ combat involvement in Vietnam began in 1964 with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and ended in 1975 with the fall of Saigon. During the Cold War (the period of strained relations between the United States and the Soviet Union following World War II), many in Washington were convinced that there…
Where Have You Gone Charming Billy? – Themes
Autobiographical Fiction Both ‘‘Where Have You Gone Charming Billy?’’ and Going After Cacciato are based on O’Brien’s experiences in the Vietnam War. O’Brien was drafted right after college, and he has said, ‘‘When the draft notice arrived after graduation . . . I thought about Canada. thought about jail. But in the end I could…
Where Have You Gone Charming Billy? – Characters
Paul Berlin Paul Berlin, the protagonist of the story, is a soldier in the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War. Throughout the story, he is identified as ‘‘Private First Class Paul Berlin,’’ which emphasizes the way a soldier ceases to be an individual and becomes a member of the platoon. Paul Berlin’s father Paul Berlin’s…
Where Have You Gone Charming Billy? by Tim O’Brien – Summary
‘‘Where Have You Gone Charming Billy?’’ takes place during a night march that comes at the end of Paul Berlin’s first day in the Vietnam War. The story opens with the platoon moving slowly through the dark and stopping to rest. Paul Berlin brings up the rear, and as they rest, he retreats into his…
How to Tell a True War Story: Analysis
The Things They Carried, the collection in which “How to Tell A True War Story” appears, received rave reviews from critics and readers alike when it appeared in 1990. Many of the stories in the collection, including “How To Tell A True War Story,” had previously won awards following publication in periodicals such as Esquire,…
How to Tell a True War Story: Setting
The Reagan Years: 1981-1988 In 1980 Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter for the presidency of the United States. Although the country could not yet know it, this was the year that the Gulf War really began, when Iraq invaded Iran. Because Iran held a group of Americans hostage, the United States initially favored Iraq in…
How to Tell a True War Story: Literary Devices
Point of View and Narration One of the most interesting, and perhaps troubling, aspects of the construction of “How to Tell a True War Story” is O’Brien’s choice to create a fictional, first-person narrator who also carries the name “Tim O’Brien.” Although the narrator remains unnamed in this particular story, other stories in the collection…
How to Tell a True War Story: Themes
Memory and Reminiscence Because “How to Tell a True War Story” is written by a Vietnam War veteran, and because Tim O’Brien has chosen to create a narrator with the same name as his own, mosl readers want to believe that the stories O’Brien tells are true and actually happened to him. There are several…
How to Tell a True War Story: Characters
Stink Harris Slink Harris has a very small role in this story, although he figures in other stories in The Things They Carried. Dave Jensen Dave Jensen is a minor character in this story, a fellow member of Tim’s platoon. Rat Kiley Ral Kiley is another member of Tim’s platoon. The story opens with Tim…