Symbolism In The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

Analysis of The Things They Carried by Tim O 'Brien

In the book “The Things They Carried”, O’Brien uses symbolism, to convey depth and meaning into this story about the Vietnam War. The narrator lists things that the soldiers carry with them, both tangible and intangible. O’Brien’s purpose for storytelling is to show contrast and explain how the soldiers have gotten to where they are now. These objects will be further explained later in the book to help establish the story line. The personality of each character becomes a clear image, and in doing so the characters become more defined. Each item exemplifies where the soldiers are at in their journey.
Throughout the book O’Brien details what each solider values and carries with him. And with each reveal the audience learns more about the character. The things they carried were largely determined by necessity (O’Brien 11). Such as food provisions, military equipment, and human necessities. The weights of these things are calculated by

After the death of one of the members, guilt becomes one of the heaviest burdens. Now the memory of the fallen becomes the black cloud that follows the soldiers has they make their journey. O’Brien makes the connection between himself and the death of the fallen soldier. Particularly with trauma, (Liu 2013) contends that wounds of the mind are best understood through metaphors and other literary alliterations. The death of this character symbolizes the death of every solider in Vietnam War, all were a friend, a member of a platoon and a death that haunted their comrades long after they were gone. Some of this symbolism represents guilt no matter the circumstances the soldiers find fault in their actions. Whether or not they had anything to do with the incident the event replays in their mind. How the things the fallen carried became his identity. His clothes and poncho became his shroud and his helmet his