Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

The death of a fellow human, whether it be soldier or friend or maybe even both, never goes silently into the night, no it happens and always has consequences. Whether they are physical or emotional there will always be damage. In Tim O'brien's The Things They Carried soldiers During the Vietnam War, as can be expected, deal with heavy burdens of guilt and shame but that’s only half the struggle. The other begins soon after the death occurs. Coping with the deaths, actions and crimes committed during this war is more often than not harder to get over than the emotional blow itself. Throughout this paper the following things will be discussed: the burdens the main characters in The Things They Carried and the emotional toll of each, the struggle

of PTSD, and coping with the atrocities and deaths witnessed in the horrible act that is war.

Within the rich pages of Tim O'Brien's book he introduces several main characters, including Norman Bowker.

Who wasn’t necessarily crucial to the development of the plot but he does teach a very important lesson in war, no one is left unaffected, everyone gets blood on their hands. Physical injuries can heal with time, the emotional toll for committing such atrocities,…..not so much. After returning home from the war Bowker, unlike O'Brien, didn’t cope with the horrible effects of the war and the things HE carried. After Kiowa's death Bowker took part in a heavy emotional aspect of life. Kiowa's death was in no way quick or painless, he died in a feciese field after Jimmy Cross decided to camo in an unknown field, after the set up camp they realized what the field was but before they could move the rain had been hammering them for hours and mortar rounds bagan exploding on top of them Kiowa was in the wrong place and was hit, Bowker grabbed him but eventually left him in order to

save

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himself from sinking into the mud. Inevitably Bowker blames himself for Kiowas death causing him to commit suicide a little while after returning home from the war.

Whether a death be swift and sudden or long and painful, it will, always affect those involved or and those who had nothing to do with the death itself.

Bowker is just one of the many, many people suffering with a mental health issue known as PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder. Only those suffering from PTSD can explain it best, "PTSD is a whole-body tragedy, integral human event of enormous proportions and with massive reprocuctions."(Susuan P. Banitt). The difference between coping and not coping can easily mean life or death. The difference between O'brien and Bowker is no different. O'brien coped through writing the collection of war stories that is The Things They Carried, Bowker on the other hand had not coped. He let the festering wound that is PTSD grow and infect him. Bowker committed suicide after returning home from the war, he hung himself in a YMCA locker room, ultimately giving in to the guilt and the shame. Each character had their burdens, each soldier today also has their burdens. PTSD is nothing new and it's not going to end

soon.

War is terrible, war is inevitable, and war never changes. PTSD is just one of the many horrible side effects of war. The war ends in the earth but the battle rages in the minds of those involved. Each character in The Things They Carried, carried a unique burden. For example Jimmy Cross carried the unreturned love for Martha and O'brien carried the shame of almost

running from the war and escaping to Canada. Each character carried these burdens and each character gained more burdens during the war, the incident with the puppy as well as the poor water buffalo. The characters also had to cope in the field because they were already being

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affected by the things they did, the atrocities committed, before they even got home. When Ted Lavender died they would crack jokes about it so they wouldn’t lose their minds.

War is terrible but its is inevitable. My grandfather is a Iraq vet he served 3 tours, that was over 4 years ago and the symptoms of being in a warzone are still visible. People all over the world are painfully going through the same terrible thing. Each character in The Things They Carried, was cursed with the burdens of not only the physical weight of their gear but the emotional burden of the things they have done, each of these burdens has its own effect on the human mind, some have the ability to cope and learn to live with these things, but for many the burdens are just too much. Always remember that no one remains unaffected from war, no one. This is a sad truth that has haunted our vets from every war and every battle.