Norman was an ex-war veteran who has recently been sent home from Vietnam. When he comes home he is portrayed as sympathetic from the perspective of Tim O’Brien. The sympathetic side of Norman was sprouted from his doubt and hatred for not receiving that “seventh medal”.
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People who didn’t serve or come from a background with a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the family can’t really relate to the stress and problems that they go through. Norman had to deal with the problem where no one knew what he was going through and or how to deal with it.
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There are many effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that people are faced with. Insomnia, Flashbacks, Social Isolation are just some of those effects that people deal with, that have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Norman portrayed some of these symptoms to us in the chapter.
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Norman really struggled with social isolation along with the feeling of guilt that he poured over the story. It’s hard for those to talk about things that they have seen and or dealt with. Everyone is dealt different cards everyday that they live. those cards can either be a Royal flush or they can be a random low chance hand (which is always a fold).
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Today some might say that things have gotten better with opening up to get help or just release some stress, but sadly it’s not all true. There will always be people who are willing to listen but they can’t fulfill that need of someone who can help. The first thing people do to try and control the pain is to push it to the side because truth is most people are callous until they are involved.
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THEY HAVE IT BETTER
In the world today, most people come across this point daily thinking to themselves they have it better. Never, I am doing all right for where I am or I’m good with who I am. Everyone wants to have it just a bit better, just a little less stress, a little less pain. No one is not dealing with those cards. Robin Williams once said, “I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy. Because they know what it’s like to feel absolutely worthless and they don’t want anybody else to feel like that”. So when people say I wish I was them or why are they so happy it will most likely be because they are dealing with pain that nobody should have to go through so the are trying to bluff their hand.
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Norman bluffed his hand through out his story by making it seem as if things were just hard, but he couldn’t get to feel normal or didn’t want people to see what he was going through, which is why he went to the lake so that no one had to know the cards he was dealt.
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In 2019 almost 2020 we have gotten worse with helping and better with make up. My 7th period English class believed that in today’s world we have been better with helping people going through a hard time even with PTSD. But actually we have gotten worse more than ever has there been suicides even with the “better help/ research we have”. We all like to believe that we are doing better because that’s what we feel but we are far from it. I can 100% say that you know of someone or heard of someone who had committed suicide in the last decade. Back in the 1900’s that’s would have been 1/1000, people had a higher chance of seeing a silent black and white movie than knowing someone who had committed suicide.
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I know that things have gotten a little off topic throughout this blog but I have been dealt the wrong cards this past year and the best thing that I can do is put them in the box in the attic that you have always wanted to open but you think to yourself maybe next time. NO I am not having bad thoughts just not a royal flush.
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Norman did the best that he could with the things he was going through and he tried his best to be the best version of himself but it was too much for one man to handle which ended in a sad event. If you are going to take away one thing from this blog it should be, NEVER NEVER hope you had the life of someone else because they look so happy or because it seems to be easy, but they probably don’t have that Royal Flush.