The memories we carry through our lives will always stay with us. The journey of life is an unceasing and never-ending event. No journey is just like another, as no person is the same as another. The word journey as a noun is defined in two ways, “an act of traveling from one place to another.” and “ a long and often difficult process of personal change and development.” These two definitions are for the same word but they can be interpreted in very different ways. Tim O'Brien, author of The Things They Carried, tells a harrowing story of not only his physical journey through the Vietnam War but also his psychological journey. We all carry our journeys whether they are tragic or profound, and no journey is simply from point A to point B. The …show more content…
Things They Carried, written by Tim O’Brien, is storytelling at its finest. Ironically this fictional collection of integrated short stories feels overwhelmingly true. Most of the true aspects come from Tim O’Brien’s experience in The Vietnam War. The book as a whole is the journey of an American Platoon in the Vietnam War. However, just reading the first story of the book, adequately named, The Things They Carried, we can get the essence of the remainder of the book. O’Brien is known as a great storyteller but the literary aspects that he pulls into this one short story, of only twenty-five pages, makes it feel like the soul of some wise literary master. The depth of literature can be seen in several parts of the story, “They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor. They died so as not to die of embarrassment.” (O’Brien 20) This excerpt explains itself quite clearly, these men did not want to dishonor, they were loyal because they were too scared to not be. The depth of this comes from the simple way that O’Brien puts it, they were scared and he was not afraid to admit the fear they felt. The complete honesty of this book is the reason why it is a literary masterpiece. Farther into the book, farther into the journey of these men, we can start to see the psychological characteristics of each character. It is inferred that O’Brien narrates The Things They Carried in the third person.
He talks about Cross who seems to be the main character, O’Brien also mentions the other men of the platoon. The platoon consists of Lieutenant Cross, Mitchell Sanders, Kiowa, Henry Dobbins, Dave Jensen, Ted Lavender, and Lee Strunk. The other short stories mention more characters but these are the only mentioned in the platoon. All of these characters are extremely different and the things they carried are all personal to their tastes. The Things They Carried is a quite literal title since the narrator is constantly talking about the weights of the things that the men carried in their rucksacks. Every character has their quirks so they have different objects in their possession. “Dave Jensen, who practiced field hygiene, carried a toothbrush, dental floss, and several hotel-sized bars of soap he'd stolen on R&R in Sydney, Australia. Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers” (O’Brien 2) O’Brien wanted to display how these men had different stories or how their journeys may contribute to their items. Even though the story really only goes into the depth of Lieutenant Cross’ journey, the literature brings in tiny details to show the journeys of his comrades. Focusing in on Cross you can tell he has some psychological issues, due to the war. Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, he was so in love with her but they hardly knew each other. “More than anything, he wanted Martha
to love him as he loved her, but the letters were mostly chatty, elusive on the matter of love.” (O’Brien) Cross had this image in his head that he and Martha were lovers. It was really the only thought that kept him going at times. After the death of his fellow troop, Ted Lavender, Cross tried to clear his head of her and stay more focused on his men. The journey that Cross takes is hardly in Vietnam, it is in his head. The Narrator is all in his head as well, talking about the things that he carries. The items he carries are not always the heaviest loads. “They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing—these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight.” (O’Brien 20) Even though these soldiers seem tough they carry their deepest emotions and just keep going on their journeys. The journey of not only the war but of their emotions, mentality, and dignity. The journeys of these troops are told from one perspective, but with that one perspective, we can see the emotional and physical trauma that the men go through. Even witnessing the end of Ted Lavender's journey. The trauma of Lavender’s death does not seem to affect the men on the outside. However, Lieutenant Cross is overtaken by his thoughts, “He felt shame. He hated himself. He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence, Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war.” (O’Brien 16) This excerpt shows the perfect example of how this man was more in his head than physically in the war. His entire journey through the war was experienced mentally. Cross was full of emotion but had to stay stoic for the sake of his men’s lives. He journeyed not only through Vietnam but also through his own thoughts. The psychological burden of the war, the journey, is very difficult for the men. “The psychological effects of the war remain with the men of Alpha Company” ( Gale Student Resource and Context) The reason why The Things They Carried is such a studied and highly acclaimed literary piece is for its profound storytelling. The psychological storytelling of a man who has witnessed the tragedies of war and death and his own personal afflictions. We all carry our journeys whether they are tragic or profound, and no journey is simply from point A to point B.
Tina Chen’s critical essay provides information on how returning soldiers aren’t able to connect to society and the theme of alienation and displacement that O’Brien discussed in his stories. To explain, soldiers returning from war feel alienated because they cannot come to terms with what they saw and what they did in battle. Next, Chen discusses how O’Brien talks about soldiers reminiscing about home instead of focusing in the field and how, when something bad happens, it is because they weren’t focused on the field. Finally, when soldiers returned home they felt alienated from the country and
All of these items were carried for two simple reasons, to survive, and to kill, which was of course their job. Next, the things that each individual chose to carry, for many of the men, these items were things that they personally believed that they could not live without, but to others would be unnecessary for survival. For First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. It was pictures of Martha, and also letters from her whom. he loved unrequitedly.
Vietnam War was one of the hardest wars ever fought. There are several reasons for this statement. It was basically impossible to conquer the territory because there were no boundaries. The soldiers had to put up with the climate, land, diseases and most importantly themselves. This essay is about yet another reason: the relationship between the soldiers and the officers.
In the book “The Things They Carried”, O’Brien uses imagery, figurative language and repetition to convey his message. O’Brien’s purpose for story telling, is to clear his conscience of war and to tell the stories of soldiers who were forgotten by society. Many young men were sent to war, despite opposing it. They believed it was “wrong” to be sent to their deaths. Sadly, no one realizes a person’s significance until they die. Only remembering how they lived rather than acknowledging their existence when they were alive.
I wonder what it was like to witness the Vietnam War firsthand in combat. Well, in the short story, “The Things they Carried,” by Tim O’Brien, the theme was portrayed as the physical and emotional burdens that soldiers had to deal with during the Vietnam War.
The word "hero" is so often used to describe people who overcome great difficulties and rise to the challenge that is set before them without even considering the overwhelming odds they are up against. In our culture, heroes are glorified in literature and in the media in various shapes and forms. However, I believe that many of the greatest heroes in our society never receive the credit that they deserve, much less fame or publicity. I believe that a hero is simply someone who stands up for what he/she believes in. A person does not have to rush into a burning building and save someone's life to be a hero. Someone who is a true friend can be a hero. A hero is someone who makes a difference in the lives of others simply by his/her presence. In Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, the true heroes stand out in my mind as those who were true friends and fought for what they believed in. These men and women faced the atrocities of war on a daily basis, as explained by critic David R. Jarraway's essay, "'Excremental Assault' in Tim O'Brien: Trauma and Recovery in Vietnam War Literature" and by Vietnam Veteran Jim Carter. Yet these characters became heroes not by going to drastic measures to do something that would draw attention to themselves, but by being true to their own beliefs and by making a difference to the people around them.
The Things They Carried is a funny little book in the sense that it isn’t told how most books are. It goes from war to camping on the borderline of Canada, back to war, and then into present day times. It works marvelously well, showing you what actually happened and then what he thought about what happened and what he could have done to change the outcome. There are many things that I think people can learn from his experiences in the Vietnam war and the way he tells those stories and lessons really bring you along for the ride.
The novel “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’ Brien takes place in the Vietnam War. The protagonist, Lieutenant Cross, is a soldier who is madly in love with a college student named Martha. He carries around photos and letters from her. However, the first few chapters illustrate how this profound love makes him weak in the war.
In “The Things They Carried” Tim O’Brien uses this story as a coping mechanism; to tell part of his stories and others that are fiction from the Vietnamese War. This is shown by using a fictions character’s voice, deeper meaning in what soldier’s carried, motivation in decision making, telling a war story, becoming a new person and the outcome of a war in one person. Tim O’ Brien uses a psychological approach to tell his sorrows, and some happiness from his stories from the war. Each part, each story is supposed to represent a deeper meaning on how O’Brien dealt, and will deal with his past. In war, a way to discover and to invent new ways to release oneself from the pressure of it, O’ Brien’s writing is all about it; this stories will makes the reader understand his burden.
In the book The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien uses many themes to help draw connections between the book and the reader. O’Brien’s “On The Rainy River” chapter contains countless motifs that make this chapter so compelling. “On The Rainy River” describes his decision whether to enter the draft or to flee to Canada where he would not get condemned. The main theme in this chapter is embarrassment. First Lieutenant Tim O’Brien goes insane from the embarrassment he would face if he did not enter the draft.
Everyday individuals face decisions in which they must choose whether to do what is appealing to them or to choose a more suitable and compliable choice. In the fictional work of ‘The Things They Carried’ by Tim O’ Brien, certain characters such as Tim O’ Brien himself must face decisions similar to these. The novel demonstrates that when an individual is faced with a decision in which there is a choice that he may have to conform, the individual tends to conform due to not wanting to embarrass themselves or to not be portrayed as a coward to others. However when the individual is challenged with these types of decisions, the choice does not matter since the outcome will be what the individual was trying to avoid. That is to say that in the excerpt “The Rainy River” Tim O’ Brien was going through a conflicting decision on whether or not he should go to the war. Yet, as we see it turns out that either choice will lead to either shame or cowardice. If he goes to the war he feels that he will be a coward and that he gave up his own morals and values and accepted something he does not believe in, but if he does not go to war he will be shunned by society and will be labelled as a coward because he will not fight for his country.
O'Brien's repeated use of the phrase "they carried" attempts to create a realization in the reader that soldiers in wars always carry some kind of weight; there is always some type of burden that servicemen and women will forever hold onto both throughout the war and long after it has finished. The specification of what the soldier bear shows that the heaviness is both physical and emotional and in most cases the concrete objects carried manifest into the continued emotional distress that lasts a lifetime (sentence about what they carry from novel) "The Things They Carried" emphasis this certain phrase in order for those that do not have the experience of going to understand the constant pressure of burdens they are under. O'Brien draws on
The title of the book itself couldn’t be more fitting. The Things They Carried is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Tim O'Brien about soldiers trying to live through the Vietnam War. These men deal with many struggles and hardships. Throughout this essay I will provide insight into three of the the numerous themes seen throughout the novel: burdens, truth, and death.
Before O’Brien introduces the characters, he introduces the items they carry as symbols of their humanity. The reader has a chance to develop curiosity for the depth of each character presented and is not instantly alienated by the war setting. In the first paragraph O’Brien introduces the letters Lieutenant Cross carries by writing, “First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey. They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping” (O'Brien 337). The letters are one of the most prominent symbols the reader encounters and at the story’s opening, act as a symbol of home, youth, and hope. Because he carries these dainty baubles, Cross seems more vulnerable, therefore, more human. The reader sees this again when introduced to more of the soldiers inventory, “Among the necessities or near-necessities were P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosqui...
The main symbol in “The Things They Carried” is the necessities they carried as well as personal belongings. Each item tells a story that shows the past life on the soldier. Rat Kiley, the medic, carried M&M’s with him at all times. They were not to snack on during breaks. He brought them to provide as a placebo for soldiers who weren’t critically wounded and weren’t going to make it. The candy made some soldiers believe it was a painkiller and actually kept them alive and importantly quiet Ted Lavender’s tranquilizes and dope help reduce his fear. Kiowa carried an illustrated New Testament. For Jimmy it is his letters from Martha, it symbolizes the life that he wishes he could be living back at home with her. However, all of them carried one thing in common, the coward trait, the instinct to run at any given moment. Piedmont-Marton argues in her critical essay, “The things they carry on their bodies creates the illusion of unity and collaboration, but the fragile collective is always compromised by the things they carry inside and by the meanings and emotions attached to the smallest and most private of artifacts” (Para 3). She shows that the things that weigh the most have the least amount of meaning to them. The only thing getting them through times and not putting a bullet in their foot is the weightless mementos they have that give them