Weight In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

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.
Dependent on the individual man, the weight varies based on the physical build and priorities. O’Brien makes reference throughout the story of the imperial weight on the men’s shoulders. For example “Henry Dobbins was a big man, [so] he carried extra rations” (O’Brien 366). Each item recorded has a weight describing it, portraying the physical burden a man must carry for the war. In the beginning, Lt. Jimmy Cross’s 10 ounce letters from Martha were significantly more important to him than the other items of protection. This showed how the weight of one item is not equivalent to its importance. The small weight of Martha’s letters greatly impacted a reason for Cross’ change. Throwing away rations

and weapons shows how it is easier to shed physical weight than mental weight. The weight describes the physical brunt of war and how it effects a man.
Physical weight is measurable, but we are unable to weigh the emotional burden of war. When Ted Lavender was shot, he not only fell under the physical weight of his supplies, but with an amount of “unweighed fear” (O’ Brien 370). This fear is an inevitable emotion of war, that puts a strain of weight on a man. Cross felt guilty for the death of Lavender, this emotional weight was the catalyst for Cross’ change. As compared to physical weight, emotion burden is not easily shed, it lingers forever. The weight of Martha effected how Cross acted and fought in the war, as well as his escape from the reality of it. Cross’ epiphany to change results in him burning the letters and pictures of Martha, symbolizing the weight of her being taken off of his mind. The aspects of war create a burdensome emotional state, that will untimely change the actions of a man.
Although each man carries a distinct amount of weight, there are things they carry that they have in common.

The weight of fear is shared among every man. “[Men] were afraid of dying, but they were even more afraid to show it” (O’Brien 380). The weight of fear and fear of being a coward changes how then men will communicate, fight, and act in war. The emotional baggage that they shared were ethereal, however it weighed a significant amount. The location also added to the weight the men had to haul. It is the mud in their boots and feeling in the air. If a “mission seemed hazardous,” they would carry all the weight they could bear (O’Brien 372). The mission’s weight and collective fear impact how the war is fought and how men will

change.
Freedom from the war and freedom from the weight, the men imagine what it is like “the weights fell off” (O’Brien 382). The imagination of the weight of war gone and they were free. They believed that the moment they escaped the war that they escaped the weights adhered. However, there is no way of escaping the weight of war, even after you're gone. The weight of illusion and reality impinging on a man’s state of mind. Imagining the freedom form the war is extra weight that the men carry, and it impacts how they act.
The battles of war weigh a person down, both physically and mentally. It has impacts that effect their physical and mental strength. This weight is the catalyst for a mans change. The physical aspect of weight shows that a man will carry and what he will yield. The emotional weight is what will push a man for change. As well as both physical and mental weight, the location has a way of changing the acts of the men in the war. The need for a escape is a burden on the men. The word weight is the most important word in the short story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien because it shows the authors message about war, and the tolls it has on person and the change that the weight will make.