Jerkins, Miller, Nunez 1 Jacqueline Jerkins, Mary Miller & Joseph Nunez Ms.

Cooperman AP English Literature and Composition 3 October 2011

Rat Kiley Character Analysis

Calm is most likely the last word that anybody of sane mind would relate to war. However, in Tim OBriens The Things They Carried, Bob Rat Kiley serves as not only the calm before each storm, but the calm during and after as well. He is the lovable, lighthearted, and compassionate young man that every member of the squadron grew to quickly trust and rely on. Kiley initially acts as a symbol of stability and confidence before becoming a classic example of how the war corrupts even the most seemingly immutable individuals. In a building, there are support beans, which accomplish exactly what their name suggests-support. While providing support, they also allow every other structure within the building to exist and carry through with their own jobs. Rat Kiley is a support beam. As a field medic in the Vietnam War, Kileys strange combination of a stable mindset and constant confidence serves to help himself and the members of his team to survive. Instantly accepted by his squadron, he was someone they could depend on; he knew his trade well and could act within a moments notice, saving the lives and treating the illnesses of many. After Timmy OBriens first experience with being shot turns out to be Jerkins, Miller, Nunez 2

less than a big deal thanks to Kileys confidence in his own abilities, he is more than furious after Kiley leaves and is forced to deal with a new medic, almost dying of shock thanks to a second bullet wound and the medics novice abilities. Kiley was also infamous for adding in some much-needed fun while the squad was camping out for the night. He was always fond of telling stories, something that was almost annoying to the rest of the men due to his determination to always tell the story correctly and to make people believe him in the process. He also relishes in joking around, and was fond of tossing smoke grenades back and forth with his best friend Curt Lemmon, before Curt died during one of their games. Kiley kept a bizarrely level-head during the majority of the war, somehow not letting the horror of the entire operation get to him until the very end. Despite Rat Kileys display of mental control during the beginning of the war, he eventually succumbs to the madness after being subject to so much brutality and suffering. The first crack in his wall of self-assuredness appears in How To Tell A True War Story. After the death of his best friend, Kileys pent-up emotions all rise to the surface, and he repeatedly shoots a baby buffalo while traveling on foot with the squad. The rest of the men just stand and watch, practically shell-shocked by Kileys severely out-of-character behavior. Throughout the novel, Kileys confidence is noticeably shaken by the war. He becomes reliant on receiving some form of empathy from people, whether it be from his stories or letters, and is visibly upset when Curt Lemons sister doesnt reply to his letter about her brothers death. He is eventually completely overcome by the war and starts to go insane, believing that the bugs are plotting to kill Jerkins, Miller, Nunez 3

him. He finishes his stint in Vietnam by shooting himself in the foot, allowing him to get flown out of the jungle and to a hospital. Despite Bob Rat Kileys beginning as a relatively calm and composed young man, he left the Vietnam War on edge and at the brink of insanity. His confidence and lighthearted nature washes away in the jungle and left him as only a shell of the person he once was. Tim OBriens The Things They Carried uses Kiley to symbolize how war changes all men, no matter how sensible they may first appear to be.