The Things They Carried: A Soldier's Burden

In “The Things They Carried,” Tim O’Brien brings to light the effects of war on soldiers, both physically and psychologically. The title of the story would lead the reader to believe the story is only about the provisions and apparatus a soldier would physically carry into war. After reading the entire story, it becomes evident that there are many burdens seen and unseen that soldiers face during times of war.

In this story, O’Brien uses motif by describing the items the soldiers physically carry while at war which embody the soldier’s state of mind. One example of a motif is at the beginning of the story when First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is introduced. The author describes the letters Jimmy carries around with him from a girl named Martha “They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them folded in plastic, at the bottom of his rucksack”(O’Brien 114). These letters are indicative that Cross does not feel the kind of love from Martha that he feels for her.

O’Brien employs symbolism as a literary device in the story which he uses to describe the items Ted Lavender is carrying with him. Lavender carries tranquilizers which represent the torment and anxiety he has due to being involved in the war. O’Brien tells the reader “Ted Lavender carried six or seven ounces of premium dope, which for him was a necessity” (O’Brien 114). The fact that Ted Lavender carries drugs with him demonstrates his need to escape the reality of war. Symbolism is also present as Kiowa, a Native American soldier, is introduced. The first item carried by Kiowa is a symbol of his faith and religion, “Kiowa, a devout Baptist, carried an illustrated New Testament that had been presented to him by his father, who taught Sunday school in...

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...often times tragic and can ruin the lives of those who fight. The effects of war can last for years, possibly even for the rest of the soldiers life and can also have an effect on those in the lives of the soldier as well. Soldiers carry the memories of things they saw and did during war with them as they try and regain their former lives once the war is over, which is often a difficult task. O’Brien gives his readers some insight into what goes on in the mind of a soldier during combat and long after coming home.

Works Cited

O’Brien, Tim. “The Things They Carried.” Literature and the Writing Process. Ed. Elizabeth

McMahan, Susan Day, Robert Funk, and Linda Coleman. 10th ed. Boston: Pearson-

Longman, 2014. 114-126. Print

Waring, Philippa. Lavender: Nature's Way to Relaxation and Health. London: Souvenir, 2010. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 25 Jan. 2014.