Psychological, Physical and Mental Burdens of the Troops in "The Things They Carried"

Written by author Tim O’Brien after his own experience in Vietnam, “The Things They Carried” is a short story that introduces the reader to the experiences of soldiers away at war. O’Brien uses potent metaphors with a third person narrator to shape each character. In doing so, the reader is able to sympathize with the internal and external struggles the men endure. These symbolic comparisons often give even the smallest details great literary weight, due to their dual meanings. The symbolism in “The Things They Carried” guides the reader through the complex development of characters by establishing their humanity during the inhumane circumstance of war, articulating what the men need for emotional and spiritual survival, and by revealing

One of the most overlooked aspects in the life of a soldier is the weight of the things they carry. In Tim O'Brien's story, "The Things They Carried," O'Brien details the plight of Vietnam soldiers along with how they shoulder the numerous burdens placed upon them. Literally, the heavy supplies weigh down each soldier -- but the physical load imposed on each soldier symbolizes the psychological baggage a soldier carries during war. Though O'Brien lists the things each soldier carries, the focal point centers around the leader, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, and his roles in the war. Lt. Cross has multiple burdens, but his emotional baggage is

In Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”, O’Brien created several allusions that each character endured during the Vietnam War. Throughout the story were vast representations of the things soldiers carried both mentally and physically. The things they carried symbolized their individual roles internally and externally. In addition to symbolism, imagination was a focal theme that stood out amongst the characters. This particular theme played a role as the silent killer amongst Lt. Cross and the platoon both individually and collectively as a group. The theme of imagination created an in depth look of how the war was perceived through each character which helped emphasize their thoughts from an emotional stand point of being young men out at war.

Through The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien moves beyond the horror of fighting in the Vietnam War to examine with sensitivity and insight the nature of courage and fear. Included, is a collection of interrelated stories. A few of the stories are brutal, while others are flawed, blurring the distinction between fact and fiction. All the stories, however, deal with one platoon. Some are about the wartime experiences of soldiers, and others are about a 43-year-old writer reminiscing about his platoon’s experiences. In the beginning chapter, O’Brien rambles about the items the soldiers carry into battle, ranging from can openers, pocketknives, and mosquito repellent o

In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien uses the art of fabricating stories as a coping mechanism. Trying to distinguish the difference between fictional and factual stories is a challenge in this book, but literal truth cannot capture the real violence that the soldiers dealt with in Vietnam, only “story truth” can. He explains, “If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made victim of a very old and terrible lie.” (O’Brien 65). The novel illustrates that storytelling is a way to keep the dead alive, even if it may not be a true story.

The text, ‘The Things They Carried', is an excellent example which reveals how individuals are changed for the worse through their first hand experience of war. Following the lives of the men both during and after the war in a series of short stories, the impact of the war is accurately portrayed, and provides a rare insight into the guilt stricken minds of soldiers. ‘The Things They Carried' shows the impact of the war in its many forms: the suicide of an ex-soldier upon his return home; the lessening sanity of a medic as the constant death surrounds him; the trauma and guilt of all the soldiers after seeing their friends die, and feeling as if they could have saved them; and the deaths of the soldiers, the most negative impact a war

While the Vietnam War was a complex political pursuit that lasted only a few years, the impact of the war on millions of soldiers and civilians extended for many years beyond its termination. Soldiers killed or were killed; those who survived suffered from physical wounds or were plagued by PTSD from being wounded, watching their platoon mates die violently or dealing with the moral implications of their own violence on enemy fighters. Inspired by his experiences in the war, Tim O’Brien, a former soldier, wrote The Things They Carried, a collection of fictional and true war stories that embody the

In "The Things They Carried," O'Brien made reference to the Vietnam war that was closely associated with the physical, psychological, and emotional weight the soldiers beared.  The overall method of presentation of this story incorporated many different outlooks on the things the soldiers carried, dealt with, and were forced to adapt to.  In addition to this, O'Brien showed us the many reasons why and how the soldiers posessed these things individually and collectively and how they were associated directly and indirectly.  The strong historical content in "The Things They Carried" helped emphasize the focus of the story and establish a clearer understanding of details in the

Tim O'Brien builds an argument in “The Things They Carried” to convey the realities felt by the soldiers in the vietnam war through many ways. His purpose of this book was to make people aware of all the soldiers struggles and what they when through. He conveyed his message through the use of of evidence, like facts and examples to support his claims made. He uses reasoning to develop his ideas and last but not least Tim O'Brien uses word choice and appeal to emotion to add to the ideas expressed throughout the passage. To begin with, Tim O’Brien has many claims throughout “The Things They Carried” but each and every one of those claims would be nothing without the evidence that he gives along with facts and examples.

In the book, The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien; the men in combat carried many things, each with a specific purpose for survival. Each man carried individual items, which weighed between 12 and 18 pounds, and added onto this weight with other necessities for the whole group. The necessities the men carried depended upon a man's rate of metabolism, and their habits. All the men were required to carry large 5 lb steel helmets, and jungle boots, with a weight of 2.1 lbs. Another requirement was that all the men carry a steel centered, nylon-covered flak jacket, with a weight of 6.7lbs. In the field, a poncho was a multi-purpose treasure, and could even be used as a body carrier. What the men carried also depended on their rank, and their

The Vietnam War generates the idea that time in violent environments can impact a person's emotional and physical health causing that person to lose sight of their morals and ethics. This is proven true in Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried. In O’Brien’s novel the author delivers to the reader a variety of war stories from unique perspectives of many American soldiers. By this, the reader can observe that O'Brien's narrations of war stories reveals the difficulties of the war and the purposelessness of it.

Burdens affect every person daily. From carrying a backpack to school, to dealing with a family member who is causing drama, everyone knows the heaviness of a burden. In Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” O’Brien describes the physical and emotional baggage of young soldiers in Vietnam. O’Brien creates a very vivid and relatable feel with his story through the way he describes the physical, emotional, and actions of his characters due to the burdens of war.

In his fictional war novel The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien provides several vignettes of war experiences in different perspectives and mashes them together; thus, creating a true war story. O’Brien who has a scholarship for grad studies at Harvard is drafted to the Vietnam War. Although he has no choice but to join the war, he thinks of running away; however, he eventually joins the war because he was too embarrassed not to. Specifically in this excerpt, O’Brien employs repetition, imagery, and fantastic details to convey his guilt after killing a Vietnamese man in the war.

1.Soldiers carry a wide variety of items with some being used for their duty as a soldier but some are items that soldiers carry to help them through the war. The most surprising item being Dave Jensen’s bars of soap. Fighting in the jungles of Vietnam is an experience that will make soldiers dirty quick but Jensen still seems to take control of his hygiene. The most evocative and the item that stood with me is how Ted Lavender carries ounces of dope on him and as the author Tim O’Brien describes “Ted Lavender carried six or seven ounces of premium dope, which for him was 2 necessity”(O’Brien 1). Ted needed dope in order to continue fighting but O’Brien describes Ted’s extremely nonchalant showing that such people were around fighting in Vietnam

“The Things They Carried” provides a personal view into the minds of soldiers, and tells us the emotional and psychological costs of war. The soldiers may have carried physical objects, but some of these objects connect to a deeper psychological weight most do not see.