Themes
One theme in If I Die in a Combat Zone is his struggle in a war he thinks is unethical and unjust. He explains in the beginning of the book that he he believes the war is pointless. He tries to get out of the draft by planning to go to Canada. This doesn't work and he gets drafted. Once he gets drafted he plans to fly to Norway from Canada because he doesn't want to go to war. He ends up not being able to dodge the draft or the war. O'Brien realizes that the US Army doesn't provide moral support for the foot soldiers in Vietnam. while he is there. This just makes it worse. By reading this book i agree with O'Brien. I would not want to be drafted into a war that doesn't have anything to do with my situation or my country. The Vietnam war had nothing to do with the US and was all about Vietnam. Although Vietnam was basically in a civil war the US still stepped in to solve their problem and i don't think that was right. The theme of O' Brien's struggle in a war that is unethical and unjust is just one of the themes from the story If I Die in a Combat Zone.
Another theme in If I Die in a Combat Zone is the meaning of courage and bravery while in Vietnam. O'Brien goes in depth into this theme around the middle of the book. He relates his definition to Plato. He says that courage is wisdom, bravery, and temperence all in one. He like sthis definition more than what most of the soldiers who fight. Most of the soldiers who fight in the war think that courage is about manliness and how many people you can kill. While O'Brien doesn't believe this. He examines himself throughout the war and realizes he isn't very courageous. The only reason he was there was to keep respect from his family. I agree with O'Brien on this theme as well. He illustrates the real meaning of courage in a way that relates to all the soldiers and shows that he is able to think in real terms instead of being big headed like most other soldiers. The theme of courage was the second most important theme in the story If I Die in a Combat Zone.
Another theme in If I Die in a Combat Zone is the meaning of courage and bravery while in Vietnam. O'Brien goes in depth into this theme around the middle of the book. He relates his definition to Plato. He says that courage is wisdom, bravery, and temperence all in one. He like sthis definition more than what most of the soldiers who fight. Most of the soldiers who fight in the war think that courage is about manliness and how many people you can kill. While O'Brien doesn't believe this. He examines himself throughout the war and realizes he isn't very courageous. The only reason he was there was to keep respect from his family. I agree with O'Brien on this theme as well. He illustrates the real meaning of courage in a way that relates to all the soldiers and shows that he is able to think in real terms instead of being big headed like most other soldiers. The theme of courage was the second most important theme in the story If I Die in a Combat Zone.
The picture above explains the theme of the war in Vietnam being unethical and unjust because it is showing that the citizens of America also disagree with it by protesting.
The picture above is a picture of the War in Vietnam, and shows that the soldiers are courageous for fighting in the war.