Trauma in life causes people to do many things that you would not normally do, such as carry extra ammo in war, like Tim O'Brien had Ted Lavender do in "The Things They Carried". (419) In war, the soldiers carry so much more than their gear; they carry the burden of fear because of all the trauma they have had to endure or are afraid they may have to endure. O'Brien portrays trauma in war as the greatest burden they have to carry. It is not all the protective gear that weighs the soldiers down, but the guilt and fear of war. In Tim O'Brien's short story, "The Things They Carried" portrayed the trauma in war through abstract and literal things that they hauled as well as the elements of fiction. The reason that he conveyed this message was to …show more content…
All the soldiers have to carry super heavy gear around. O'Brien tells of what the soldiers would take on their march, he says:
Out of the necessities were P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two or three canteens of water. Together, these items weighed about 15 to 20 pounds, depending on a man's habits or rate of metabolism. (O'Brien 418)
These soldiers carried even more gear than that, including their overweight clothing. All of the equipment is enough to make anyone tired, but that is not all he is talking about being heavy. According to George Doug of the "Chicago Tribune" O'Brien says, "But the book is as much about emotional burdens and spiritual burdens. ... It's about Vietnam, but I do hope discussions go beyond that". O'Brien's wish has come true in this paper, as reading his story it is easy to see that the gear the soldiers are carrying is tangible, but it is also a symbol of the trauma they have to carry throughout the war. You can also tell O'Brien want his readers to see beyond the gear the soldiers are carrying because he writes in "The Things They Carried," "In its intransitive form, to hump meant to walk, or to march, but
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Jimmy Cross in the dynamic character in the short story "The Things They Carried", at first this man was motivated to get through the war and optimistic, thinking he was going to get home to the girl he loved. Then after the tragic event of his friend and soldier dying, Cross realized that he had loved Martha more than the soldiers he was supposed to be protecting. He realized he had been living in a fantasy world, loving a woman who never loved him back; carrying the burden of fake love around with him everywhere he went. According to Tina Chen in Contemporary Literature "…the book questions the nature of truth and the possibility of ever having an unchallenged ‘sense of the definite.'" (Chen 79) After the horrifying event of losing a soldier, that is where Cross changed forever, knowing there is nothing that is definite. Men die, you love people who do not love you back, bad things happen. O'Brien used the tragic death of Ted Lavender to cause Jimmy Cross to change. He turned into a man who no longer was in this war for Martha; he jumped out of that fantasy and into reality. The author says this about Jimmy Cross, "He was now determined to perform his duties firmly and without negligence." (O'Brien 428) He changed into a man who no longer thought in a fantasy land, the trauma of war had changed him, and now that
Necessities in The Things They Carried In The Things They Carried, the characters themselves probably could not tell you why they carried many of the things they did. The things they carried can be divided into three basic groups, the things that everyone had to carry in order to survive, the things that individuals choose to carry, and the mental burdens that many carry without choice. The necessities that the men were forced to carry were, for example, P- 38 can openers, pocket knives, matches, C-rations, water, nylon covered flak. jacket, an M-16 assault rifle, and for Henry Dobbins, an M-60, which weighed 33-. 38 pounds of ammunition.
For young people, the Vietnam War is a thing of the past and they can
By allowing the reader the "[privilege of] the soldiers experience" (Chattarji) it shows how difficult it is to get rid of the weight as begins to define you and the more it becomes a part of a person the harder it is to remove an aspect of yourself. In his repetition, O'Brien wants to give readers a deeper meaning into the everyday struggles of soldiers. He portrays the ways that soldiers were effected in the war and focused on the burdens that developed. O'Brien highlights how war changes those involved as "[the individual dreams of soldiers rise and fall and] their hopes riddled by disillusionment, their fantasies broken by shrapnel edged realities" (Timmeran). Wartime altered soldier’s perception and caused them to develop these emotional and physical weights that followed them for years. When many solider returned they were now stuck with daily burdens that had started since the day they landed in Vietnam. Constantly, these soldiers endured the long lasting results of participating in the war and unable to escape or forget the weight that they endure. "The Things They Carried" serves as a constant reminder to readers about the true realities of soldiers and the impact of war. How soldiers are not stable as they return home because of these weights that have become a part of them and how simple acts such as carrying around a weapon has now manifested itself into an emotional burden that will not leave. Often the realities of being a soldier are not portrayed accurately but O'Brien attempts to put into perspective what it really is like to go through warfare by drawing on his own experiences as a foot
The items they carried not only helped them stay alive but also brought them joy. The character jimmy cross shows that the pictures he had of Martha brought him happiness and utterly kept him going. The things they would carry varied by the mission they must conduct. Basically the things they would have during their missions helped them out and also fed them or brought them entertainment. Another example, would be the poncho that the solders carried when ted died they used the poncho to place him inside it until the helicopter arrived that would take his
In the short story, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, each soldier carries many items during times of war and strife, but each necessity differs. This short story depicts what each soldier carries mentally, physically, and emotionally on his shoulders as long, fatiguing weeks wain on during the Vietnam War. The author Tim O’Brien is a Vietnam War veteran, an author, the narrator, and a teacher. The main character, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is a Vietnam War soldier who is away at war fighting a mind battle about a woman he left behind in New Jersey because he is sick with love while trying to fulfill his duties as a soldier to keep America free. Tim O’Brien depicts in “The Things They Carried” a troubled man who also shoulders the
Among the necessities or near-necessities were P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs… …and two or three canteens of water. Together, these items weighed between 12 and 18 pounds. They all carried steel helmets that weighed 5 pounds. On their feet they carried jungle boots—2.1 pounds. (O’Brien 2)
Yet, the weight of these intangible “items” such as “grief, terror, love, longing” overshadow the physical load they must endure since they are not easily cast away. Tim O’ Brien alternates between narrative and descriptions of the tangible items that soldiers carry. He remembers seemingly everything that his squad mates were carrying and provides an “emotionless recitation” of the weights of each of the items the soldiers carried into the field. He frequently uses the term “humping” to describe how the soldiers carry their gear, making them appear more uncivilized, like animals. As he switches back to mentioning the intangible items, such as the experiences of his leader Jimmy Cross and his love Martha, the emotional weights of each soldier is felt by the reader.
In the literal sense O’Brien talks about what different members of a platoon in Vietnam carried. This helps him to move to a more symbolic sense at the end of the story. He starts by talking about necessities and slowly moves on to what they carried to remind them that there was a world out side of the war. “Among the necessities or near necessities were p-38 can openers, pocket knifes, heat tabs, wrist watches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two or three canteens of water.” But as the story moves on it shows other things that were considered necessities to them even though to some one else they might seem a luxury. Such as Kiowa carrying his grandfather’s hatchet. These are obviously not necessities to others but were one for them. In the story the theme of weight kept coming up. Literally he meant the weight of each weapon, ration, and body armor, ECT… “it was SOP for each man to carry a steel-centered, nylon-covered flak jacket, which weight 6.7 pounds…” Weight is used in this story to help show the symbolic meaning of weight later on in the story. “What they carried varied by mission.” Knowing the different dangers throughout the land also added to their burden, making them carry even more such as mosquito netting, machetes, mine detectors, and even things that didn’t have much use such as Kiowa carrying the New Testament and Dave Jensen carrying his night-sight vitamins. All of “The Things They Carried” helped to add to the stress of the war and also help to quell it, they carried what they needed.
Used throughout the story, the word weight is the most paramount word in the story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O'Brien. It shows the emotional, physical, and revisionary impacts that the Vietnam War had on adolescent men, and how they have to carry the physical and poignant weight for and towards the war. This word emphasizes the burden men carry and how the war’s weight is a catalyst for a man to change.. Each man had the burden of bearing a disparate amount of weight during the war. It is the weight of war that impinges on a man.
Many of these items were used for personal hygiene, grooming, and keeping uniforms in repair. Today these diminutive legacies provide us with a very personal and tangible connection to the soldiers of the Civil War. Confederate and Union soldiers added various clothing and equipment to their military issue. To make their life more tolerable, they brought various personal items to camp or were given them by family and friends. Few soldiers owned all the items in this exhibit, although most had at least some of them.
In the “Things They Carried”, O’Brien characterizes the soldiers and conveys the emotional burden of war by the things the men carried with them. The emotional burden of leaving their belongings, friends and family at home was incredibly difficult for the soldiers so anything the soldiers brought from home was a good representation
The Vietnam War was a challenging time for soldiers both physically and mentally. They often didn’t have a choice on whether they were going to war due to the drafting system that had been in place. Many had tangible and intangible things that they carried with them for the sake of their sanity or their job in the unit. The chapter, “The Things They Carried”, in the novel The Things They Carried, captures this immaculately. The author, Tim O’Brien, speaks of the things each man within his unit carried with him. Each man did not just carry tangible objects with him, but also intangible objects as well .
Through The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien moves beyond the horror of fighting in the Vietnam War to examine with sensitivity and insight the nature of courage and fear. Included, is a collection of interrelated stories. A few of the stories are brutal, while others are flawed, blurring the distinction between fact and fiction. All the stories, however, deal with one platoon. Some are about the wartime experiences of soldiers, and others are about a 43-year-old writer reminiscing about his platoon’s experiences. In the beginning chapter, O’Brien rambles about the items the soldiers carry into battle, ranging from can openers, pocketknives, and mosquito repellent o Kool-Aid, sewing kits, and M-16 assault rifles. Yet, the story is truly about the intangible things the soldiers “carry”: “grief, terror, love, longing… shameful memories (and) the common secret of cowardice” (Harris & O’Brien 21).
One of the most overlooked aspects in the life of a soldier is the weight of the things they carry. In Tim O'Brien's story, "The Things They Carried," O'Brien details the plight of Vietnam soldiers along with how they shoulder the numerous burdens placed upon them. Literally, the heavy supplies weigh down each soldier -- but the physical load imposed on each soldier symbolizes the psychological baggage a soldier carries during war. Though O'Brien lists the things each soldier carries, the focal point centers around the leader, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, and his roles in the war. Lt. Cross has multiple burdens, but his emotional baggage is the most pressing. Of all the weights burdened upon Lt. Cross, the heaviest baggage is located in his own mind. Specifically, the heaviest things Lt. Cross carries are an emotional obsession over Martha's love, the physical consequences caused by his daydreaming of Martha, and an unrelenting guilt about Ted Lavender's death.
Henry Dobbins is the guy who loves to eat so he made sure he took some extra food. Ted Lavender was the scaredy cat of the group so he carried tranquilizers with him. Dave Jense is the paranoid one, so he takes soap and a toothbrush to prevent germs and disease as best he can. Kiowa has a bible with him showing us he is the dedicated religious type. Mitchell Sanders, the funny one, has condoms with him. I'll let you decide on that one. Norman Bowker has a diary and Rat Kiley carried comic books, most likely as a way to "get away" from everything at the end of the day. Regardless of the personal items each one takes, they all share 2 items in common; their boots and their helmets. Almost all of them also have pictures with them but Jimmy Cross takes 2 very special ones. He has 2 pictures of the woman he loves, Martha. What these guys are truly carrying is some extreme emotional and physical troubles. Amongst his personal items Jimmy Cross also takes with him navigation tools. Rat Kiley has with him the medicine, surgical tape, painkillers, and other things that end up weighing alot. Ted Lavender is very scared, so he also has with him a large supply of ammunition. They all carry with them as much as they can. Weather it be for protection or entertainment, including fear and amazement of the thin...