Criticism: Ambush by Tim O'Brien

In this story, Tim O'Brien uses a first person narrator that relates to incident of war. Narrator's daughter, who is of nine years old knows that his father wrote the stories of the war, asked him that whether he has ever killed somebody. In this response, the narrator replied in negative but he decided to tell the truth to his daughter when she will grow up. Then he remembers the scenario where a young man was killed by him in Vietnam. He and another soldier were on patrol and were alternately sleep and observing the area and suddenly they were approached by the unknown person who was the dawn mist, a young man with a gun. Instinctively, the narrator took the pin from a grenade and threw it, with the intension of keeping them man away from them but not with the intension to kill the person. Then he saw the body describes a man with a hole in one eye should be. After this situation, the narrator realizes that the man was not a real threat and there was not a real danger. After many years, the narrator thinks that the incident still hang around and disturb him, in addition to this, he states that often he forgive himself but sometimes he is unable to forgive himself due to this incident. (O'Brien, 1990)

Key Issues

The story deal with the cases that how a person lives with the regrets in his mind and it also deal with the point that a person should accept his responsibility that took place due to his actions, which guides the person or the individual to follow the path of morality. (O'Brien, 1990)

Instructional Focus

The purpose of the ambush is to encourage and motivate the students to identify the substitute reactions to the moral problems to be had in the story and also predict their outcomes. In addition to this, it also have compassion that the regrets of the narrator about both killing the soldier and lying to his daughter and also guides the people how to cope up or rectify with the difficult situations in the life. (O'Brien, 1990)

Purpose of the Study

Have students read the story, pause in the tests, making them as events unfold discussed. For example, to discuss a break at the end of the first paragraph, the narrator manages to question her daughter. Ask students what they perceive the difference between lying to children and age appropriate information. Next to reading, encouraging students to questions or comments, you can intervene. Concentrate on the questions and comments to see that the moral dilemmas presented or offer new vision problems. (Gilligan, 1982) Questions as a springboard towards solutions the solution of the issue;

Why does the narrator lie to his daughter, and how does he justify it? Do you think she will ask him the same question when she's older? Why / Why not?

Why doesn't the narrator let the soldier pass? How do you think you would have reacted in a similar ...