Chapter 22: The Lives of the Dead
How does the opening paragraph frame the story we are about to read? The opening paragraph gives us the sense that everything we have read has been elements of a story that needs to be told in order for “things” to continue to have weight. This is specified in the introduction when the author says “But this is true; stories can save us… They’re all dead. But in a story which is a kind of dreaming, the dead sometimes smile and sit up and return to the world” (O’Brien 213). In other words, stories are what keep our imagination alive and our emotions “on”. Why is O'Brien unable to joke around with the other soldiers? Why does the old man remind him of Linda? O’Brien is unable to joke around with the other soldiers because he finds their humor grotesque and disturbing, which makes him retreat to his tent. O’Brien describes his emotions on the matter by saying “I was brand new to the war… I hadn’t developed a sense of humor. Right away, as if I’d swallowed something, I felt a