Tim O'brien carried with him guilt. He carried with him the guilt of killing a man, who probably had hopes and dreams like the any other soldier in the war. A man who wanted the war to end just as quickly as anyone else. Tim carried the guilt of taking away everything this soldier had.
The event that focuses on Tim O'brien focuses on the one night watch where he kills the soldier. He kills him, without even thinking about it. It seemed almost automatic to him, to throw the grenade. But the years and the morning that followed were filled with guilt and remorse. On pg. 124 he describes the sight of the dead man; the soldier he had killed. He describes how one eye was shut, and another a star shaped circle. The way he looked clean and how dainty he seemed to look. He describes this sight all throughout the chapter "The Man I Killed." He then starts to think about the man and what kind of life he might of had. On pg. 125 he explains how maybe he'd lye on his back and hope that someday he may be brave enough to fight in the war like his uncle's and his father. And about how maybe he had the hopes of being a math teacher, and having the hope of someday making it all come true.
Lastly, I gained insight that the Tim O'brien, had come out of the war as one of the lucky ones. He had made the transistion from war to peace smoothly. But still, after all those years he can carry the guilt of the war and the burden of always knowing that he killed a man, and took away everything from him. The insight that was gained about the war was that it almost becomes an automatic thing. A duty that a soldier has to fulfill, not something that gives you a sense of valor or strength. Just something they had to do. Finally, the insight that was gained about life is that, even though life still goes on. The scars and the stories from the past always stick with you no matter what.
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