TTTC Question

Question: What is the purpose behind the stylistic quirks?

Though simple, this question seems highly important. Everything is done with a purpose/goal. If there were not a reason for the detailed repetition of phrases, sentences, and even certain paragraphs, then O’Brien would have no reason to include them at all. I understand that as a reader, I will never really know his true purpose and thinking behind this sort of writing style, but I feel like there is more to it than even what is picked up by students on a surface level. I personally have not read anything else by Tim O’Brien, and have nothing to compare with- but I wouldn’t think that such specific repetition would show up just as a quirk and a sort of signature for O’Brien. As I said before, there is without a doubt a purpose- especially considering the extent that he occasionally uses to recreate the exact wording (or even the times where he uses similar wording, but increases his level of detail).

Again, being a reader (and a high school student, at that) maybe I’m not supposed to understand. There seem to be many underlying pieces to this book that only come to light with experience or maturity or even simple time. If that’s the case, then so be it. Maybe it has to do with getting the point across or trying to get an outside third party (the reader) to get an understanding of how the mindset flows. However, O’Brien constantly discredits reasons as simple as this, which is why I’m led to believe that there is something more to the repetition than just trying to get the point across or to prove his skill as a writer.

And who knows; maybe I'm looking way to deep into something that is just a staple of Tim O'Brien. It just seems to strange and distinct of a style to be something that can be waived off so quickly as a quirk.