Introduction
Literary theory is one of the most ambiguous aspects of discussion with regard to the definition of literature, understanding of the basic elements, and analysis of effectiveness of presentation of different events and characters. When the book is written, it is read by ordinary audience as well as by critics that try to apply different and sometimes contradictory approaches to the analysis of the text, characters, the relationships between the story and events in the world (historical context), the attitude of the author to the characters, and a great number of other different issues that may seem important for the overall comprehension of the author’s scheme in terms of the text presented to the public.
It would be appropriate to analyze Tim O’Brien’s works with regard to the essence of his works and the manner of writing using the cultural studies approach because it can better reveal all features of the literary work comparing to the experience of the author and relevance for the contemporary literature. The current paper touches upon two works of Tim O’Brien: Northern Lights and The Things They Carried. The analysis of these works in the cultural context is aimed at emphasizing the relevance of the stories and effectiveness of their presentation with regard to the cultural studies approach.
Cultural Studies
Discussion of critical elements
The cultural studies dwell on the connection of the text and its elements to the culture of the period to which the work can be referred. When we talk about the works by Tim O’Brien, it seems natural to imagine a soldier that participates in the war actions or writes memoirs about his war experience.
This author makes the readers feel all the difficulties and consequences of the war that made people suffer. In this respect, every war can be regarded as a cruel, unjustified, and unreasonable action because no purpose can be considered good enough to make people kill each other. The language of the fictional literature about the war is obvious in terms of traumas, damages, and military ranks. “The relationship between language and the material” (Barker 32) in the works by Tim O’Brien are clear and relevant, though some elements are fictional and cannot be considered biographically conditioned.
The next aspect that should be analyzed in terms of relation between the cultural studies approach and the works of literature under consideration is the “textual character of culture” (Barker 32) which is absolutely relevant because the American culture should save the memories about the people that lost their lives because of certain agreements between the governments and the desire to have more than is allowed, to expand the power, and the ability to take what you want.
As the character of the Northern Lights had mentioned, “War’s over…” (O’Brien, “Northern Lights” 24). All the events are related to the war actions and horrible consequences of battles and massacres; the author emphasizes the relief that comes after the announcement about the end of the war. As Tim O’Brien can be considered the author that incorporates the experience gained during the war into his fictional stories, his works should be analyzed with regard to the cultural studies approach because this one allows disclosing the essence of the texts in terms of their reality, appropriateness, relevance, and effectiveness of presentation.
Importance for analysis of literary works
Another aspect of cultural studies approach that can be applied to the works by Tim O’Brien is the “location of culture” (Barker 32), as different locations involve usage of different writing techniques and description of various events, character, and elements that would not be natural for other cultural locations. Thus, the events take place in the locations appropriate for discussion of the consequences of the Vietnam War. “The problem of cultural change” (Barker 32) is another issue that should be touched upon for it suggests a broad range of topics because the target audience of the books changes and the reasons and purposes of reading similar literary works change as well.
The works by Tim O’Brien go within the “limits of rationality” (Barker 32) and are smoothly and organically introduced into the overall American literature that can be properly analyzed with the help of the cultural studies approach. As far as the author is influenced by the contemporary events taking place in economic, social, political and other areas of life, it is necessary to take into account the possibility of the impact of certain environments on the ideas, techniques, and topics dwelled on by the author.
However, it does not seem relevant to analyze the “question of the body, biology and culture” (Barker 32) within the cultural studies approach to the Northern Lights and The Things They Carried because biology has nothing in common with the war unless the psychological analysis can give explanation of the reasons for fighting and killing. In this respect, the “problem of truth in cultural analysis” (Barker 32) can be clearly traced within the aforementioned works of literature because the author tries to explain the war and introduce its heroes involving some fictional elements which are obvious. As suggested by Lewis, the cultural studies have changed:
While notions of individual freedom have been present throughout the development of cultural studies, the question of individual identity becomes unavoidable as the focus of cultural analysis broadens from class to other social categories: gender, ethnicity, youth, sexuality and recreational sub-cultures. (Lewis 422).
Thus, the author does not deceive the readers implementing some fictional passages and positioning them as the pure reality.
Works of Literature
The Things They Carried
The first work that should be analyzed is the novel The Things They Carried which tells the readers about the war and the relationships between the representatives of two opposite sexes. The title of the novel involves the relationships between the peace lives that does not offer unusual things to be carried in the pockets, whereas the life in the condition of war suggests that some nice pieces reminding of the peace life should be kept in order to remember that everything can be over, and some day the war will be over, just like the main character of the novel “…carried letters from a girl…” (O’Brien, “The Things” 1). Consequently, the war has some other values than those offered by the peace life which can be treated as the best presentation of culture in the novel.
The text is smoothly shaped and has proper language that is understood in the right context. The most understandable feature of the cultural change in this novel is the comprehension of the war and its reasons and consequences by successive generations. Some read such stories in order to learn more about the history and the people that overcame the horrors of war, while others do not understand the real value of the memoirs even placed into the fictional context. The culture changes as well as perception of the culture by the representatives of the following generations because the same things are always understood differently with regard to the background and values of the contemporary culture.
Northern Lights
When the novel is analyzed in the context of the cultural studies approach, it seems relevant to suggest some criticism appropriate for better comprehension of the work. “O’Brien’s work, which has become the Vietnam literature of record for many students introduced to contemporary war fiction, challenges the boundaries of genre writing.” (Smith 12). The literary merit of the novel can be scarcely overestimated because it leaves no space for doubts; this novel is of great value for its combination of the facts and fictional elements. “The chaos in the words themselves is a linguistic metaphor for war, and Herr, Caputo, and others take full advantage of the quasi-fictional aspects of the memoir to further explore their Vietnam experiences” (Smith 13).
As emphasized by Smith, “Northern Lights is perhaps more aptly categorized as character- rather than plot-driven fiction, focusing on the relationships…” between family members and the measures they take in order to cope with different problems encountered through life (52). The problem of cultural analysis can be discussed with regard to the comprehension of the author’s experience and his attempt to introduce the fictional characters in the natural environment inspired by the past events. “Whatever the relationship between Northern Lights and Vietnam, nearly every reviewer or interpreter of the book has noted its close relationship to earlier modernist literature” (Heberle 72).
The interrelations between the cultures and generations involve different understanding of the most ambiguous elements incorporated successfully or less naturally into the day-to-day life of people that have faced the horrors of war. As the characters are the best elements to emphasize the importance of the work, the ones introduced by O’Brien have the most relevant features that can be understood by representatives of different cultures.
Conclusion
As the cultural studies focus on the author and the influence of the environment on the story, the analysis of Tim O’Brien’s works related to the Vietnam War seems to be the most appropriately done through explanation of the relationships between the real life which take place at the moment and the past that has a double nature because some events have to be forgotten in order to live further, whereas other events should be remembered, honored and appreciated. As the war actions have been dwelled on by numerous authors, it seems strange to write about some horrible events again and again. However, O’Brien writes in a clear understandable manner which leaves many questions open for further discussion, though many issues are solved.
When the war is over, it seems natural to write some memoires about the war and events that are difficult to forget. In this respect, the peace life becomes storage for memories and losses that were faced throughout the war. Moreover, the culture presupposes that the same events are treated differently in different periods of history involving another comprehension of the works written about the war, its consequences, and its heroes that were left on the battlefields.
Works Cited
Barker, Chris. Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE, 2003.
Heberle, Mark A. A trauma Artist: Tim O’Brien and the Fiction of Vietnam. University of Iowa Press, 2001.
Lewis, Jeff. Cultural Studies: The Basics. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE, 2002.
O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. New York: Broadway Books, 1990.
O’Brien, Tim. Northern Lights. New York: Broadway Books, 1999.
Smith, Patrick A. Tim O’Brien: A Critical Companion. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005.