Job 3

“ It was not a matter of live o die… And it will always be that way.” (O’Brian 133)

This passage stands out as an insightful identifier because it explains what happens at war and what was Tim O’Brian’s experience of killing a man. The realization is he didn’t really need to kill the man as his life did not depend on it. Tim has pulled the cap of the grenade and by then had no option but to throw it. He did and a man died.
Tim says, “and it will always be that way.”(O’Brian 133) He says that because there is nothing that can change what happened. He doesn’t express regret or guilt. He is just resigned to the idea that this is what happens in war.

“There was no music…’why’s she dancing?” (O’Brian 134)

Again this passage supports the theme that what happens in a war just doesn’t make sense. A girl is dancing even though we find out that her house burned down and her family is dead. There was no music is an insightful identifier that there was nothing to dance to, just as there is no reason for the girl to dance. It makes no sense. This supports the theme that you cant explain the strange things that happens at war.
That isn’t to say that if there was music and the girl was dancing it would make sense. It means there was no reason to dance and the music is a metaphor for the reason.

“I did not look on my work as therapy. But that nonetheless help to clarify and explain.” (O’Brian 158)

I chose this passage because I thought it was an insightful identifier to how the author was able to write the book. By writing about what happened to all of them. O’Brian was able to document what needed to be known and understood and once they were on paper. He could start letting go of these stories. It was therapy for him to write them down.
O’Brian says, “ By telling stories, you objectify your own experience. You separate it from yourself.” (O’Brian) This shows how he could deal with his memories so that he could go on with his life. Norman Bowker wasn’t able to let go of his memories as Tim was. I think that writing the stories was very significant to understanding the book was written.

“Briefly he stopped and watches the clouds… The rain was the war and you had to fight it.”(O’Brian)

O’Brian writes another insightful identifier that is a metaphor for the war. In this text the war is compared to the rain. The rain wouldn’t let you up just like you cant take a break from the war. You just have to deal with it as you would the rain with all its inconveniences.
Another realization could be that there is something positive with lots of rain like plants growing, so maybe something positive also came out of the war.

“Azar kept shaking his head… You’ve got to admit, its pure world class irony”
An insightful identifier is that O’Brian is always writing about the irony of their situation. In this passage he refers to them, “ Wasted in the waste.” (O’Brian 165) By this he keeps repeating this idea that not only was the war like being in shit, but they actually were in real shit in that the field where they were camping in was used as toilet.
Being in the war stunk, and the place they were in the war’s stunk. This is the irony that O’Brian was referring to. The deep meaning is that this was a shifty war to have to be in.