Word Choice In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

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Word choice is a great way to convey a message to your reader. Some authors choose to give a subliminal message while others give more revealing messages. In Tim O’Brien’s short story “The things They Carried” he uses a mixture of both. He hints at what he feels is important, and what is not so important. Throughout the short story, O’Brien is conveying a message to the reader by putting them in his place during the war. The word choice in “The Things They Carried” is significant because the descriptions, profanity, and “hump” refer far more than what you take them as. The setting of the story is in the jungles of Vietnam. At the time not many Americans are for the war and show it by turning their backs on the ones fighting. We start out …show more content…

Though it may seem like military talk, the profanity is really used to cover up how they are feeling. The use of the profane words helps solidify how difficult the times were during one. During a tunnel check Lee Strunk crawled out meeting his comrade’s words, “Right out of the grave. Fuckin’ zombie.” (274) While it seems they are joking around with death, shortly after Ted Lavender is shot and killed by a sniper while using the bathroom. Again described by “Oh shit, the guy’s dead” (275) Profanity is used today as an emphasis on description. In both the war and on paper it is easy to feel the tension of the men and the situation that they are in.
Shortly into the story O’Brien mentions the word “hump”. This word has many meanings to it. The men would hump their packs on their back, many of the men would hump memories and grievances. One man in particular that humps many things is Lieutenant Cross. He has many things to hump; A squad of men, his pack, burdens, and the memories of Martha. Cross takes the blame for Ted’s death because while Ted was urinating, Lieutenant Cross was daydreaming about Martha. The distraction of the girl lead to Cross having to carry the burden of death on his back like a

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