When most people think imagery, they don't see themselves being completely grossed out. Despite this, O'Brien, on page 118, is able to use some intense imagery to make a certain scene come to life. When talking about the man he killed, he describes in great detail the state of the body. "His jaw was in his throat, his upper lip and teeth were gone, his one eye was shut, his other eye was a star-shaped hole." This type of detail continues on for an entire page. This grotesque scene was not uncommon in Vietnam during the war. O'Brien is able to bring the reader into his story by painting such a vivid picture of the image he is describing. The reader can experience the horror of seeing a mangled body and knowing that you were the cause of it. It was hard for most soldiers to cope with that feeling, and the reader can fully understand that, because they have been brought into the war and all of its horrors.
This type of imagery also brings a sense of timelessness to the novel, because the reader, even though they may not have been alive during the Vietnam War, they can experience it through the writing.
why do you think he keeps repeating the same details over and over?
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