This section of Tim O'Briens book titled "Notes," is a very striking and conflicting section. The reader is allowed to feel for the character Norman Bowker, reading his letters about how he feels about the war, and Tim's writings about it and how it affects him, because before and after reading it, it is mentioned that he commits suicide. Bowker seemed unsatisfied with life after the war, and statements like " So why not come down for a visit sometime and we'll chase pussy and shoot the breeze and tell each other old war lies? A good long bull session, you know?" and ""there's no place to go. Not just in this lousy
little town. In general. My life, I mean. It's almost like I got killed over in Nam . . . " These statements make it seem like his life is like a facade. A conclusion could be drawn that his feelings towards the war may have driven him to commit suicide, that lack of realness. He even felt uncomfortable when people were being nice to him, he saw their kindness as caution, to not slip up and say the wrong thing. He reveals himself to not be crazy, but his mood switches abruptly even in his writings. I would compare his interpretation of O'Brien's war stories to the girl in Margaret
Atwood 's short story "There was once." I am sure he would have, made many suggestions, like he did in his letters, but in a different way, rather than making it up, he would want it to be more truthful. This passage was strong and meaningful and it gave me the feels. I could reference the structure of “Maus II ” when O’Brien writes about the story that Bowker is suggesting that he writes about.
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