Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried Essay

The story of Things they carried written by author Tim O’Brien is the story of a group of young men who served during the war in Vietnam. The story explains the physical and mental burdens of war, carried by each individual, for the battle, their love, and their superstitious beliefs. Of the group, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, their leader, was a young man who carried the heaviest load. First Lieutenant Cross was often distracted by thoughts of a girl named Martha, whom he had met before the war. Martha was a college student in New Jersey who had sent Lieutenant Cross letters and good luck charms. Though Martha’s intentions were innocent, Lieutenant Cross never understood them that way, as a matter of fact, he often fantasized about Martha

In the story The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien uses literary devices such as imagery and repetition to show how conflict impact humanity in ways of making people care for who they have and how long they have them.

Tim O’Brien’s book, The Things They Carried, describes the adversity a platoon of American soldiers had to overcome in the Vietnam War. Each soldier in the platoon has a specific role they were assigned to before arriving in Vietnam. The majority of things they carried were all necessities, but some also carried certain belongings or mementos back from home to enlighten their moods. The medic, Bob “Rat” Kiley, is affected by the tragedy all around, but it gives us an idea of what he was like back at home before the war.

Historian Jacob Bronowski concluded that “War is a highly planned and cooperative form of theft.” In the book The Things they Carried, Tim O’brien portrays stories of his own time at the Vietnam War and the stories of his platoon members. During their time in Vietnam, the men of the Alpha Company must manage with the loss of their friends and guilt from killing and witnessing others die. There are three stories of theft and loss among the platoon members. The stories of Jimmy Cross, Tim O’brien, and Kiowa.

When thinking about war, people do not usually think of the things that soldiers carry with them. However, the things the soldiers’ carry can help readers to better understand the reality of war. The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brian, gives many examples of items which the soldiers bring along with them into war. Some people bring objects to remind them of something or give them hope, and others carry only emotional baggage, but everyone carries something with them. The Things They Carried shows readers the traumatizing effects of war and how people were able to cope with them using the things they carried.

O’ Brien starts the chapter off by telling us that the war “wasn’t all about terror and violence.” (30) Then, he tells us a number of very short stories about the sweetness of war. He introduce the readers through a detailed description of what being in a war feels like and why war sucks. “One leg for Chrissake. Some poor fucker ran out of ammo.” (30) tells us that the boy’s one leg showed how much war sucks and being in a war is very painful. The result of having that boy with one leg left is because of all of his ammo have been depleted to defend for himself. O’ Brien compares the war to a Ping Pong ball, saying that you could put a spin on it and make it dance. When he sits at his typewriter and remembers Kiowa dying in a field of dirtyness

Life is full of regrets, life is full of death, Tim O'Brien explains this in the book The Things They Carried. The Things They Carried takes place during the Vietnam War. Tim O’Brien is a sergeant during the war. This book shows O’Briens and his platoon mates hardships throughout the war. That one's life could be changed in a split second, or by one little mistake. In the book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien presented mortality and death and shame and guilt throughout the war towards people who want an entertaining take on the Vietnam War.

Many may question the true meaning of love. However, there is not an exact description. According to Merriam-Webster, The full definition of love is “a (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties-maternal love for a child (2): attraction based on sexual desire: affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests”. Love played a role in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is the platoon leader. While stationed in the Vietnam, Lieutenant Cross was infatuated with Martha. He used his memory and imagination to escape from the scenes from the war.

In Tim O’Brien’s short story, “The Things They Carried,” he explains more than just what people face while fighting a war. He gives detail of each struggle, memory, and heartache each soldier carries on their shoulders into the war. O’Brien describes of a battle more destructive than a war filled with any ammo. He describes a battle within the human mind, a battle in which is harder than any man has faced. A battle within the mind controls one’s every decision. O’Brien explains the importance on having one’s mind “battle-free” so memories will not distract one making successful decisions.

“The things they carried” by Tim O’Brien follows lieutenant cross and shows his deepest feelings for Martha. That he forgets he is in war and lets some of his soldiers die because he was in the clouds. Moreover, he notices that Martha is nowhere and that she doesn't love him like he does and decides to get rid of every attachment to her and focus on his real task. O’Brien also shows the other soldiers feelings and the things they carried, vital supplies to survive in the war but also items that they believe are luck and also make them feel comfortable or at home. However, those items don't make them forget about the reality that death can happen at any time. One can see the author having shame and guilt and morality of death.

In the book “The Things They Carried” four female characters played an important role in the lives of the men. Whether imaginary or not, they showed the power that women could have over men. Though it's unknown if the stories of these women are true or not, they still make an impact on the lives of the soldiers and the main narrator.

     How does death affect the behavior of people? Although death affects everyone's behavior differently, knowledge of one's imminent death is a main force behind behavioral changes. This knowledge causes emotions that motivate people to act in ways that they normally would not. In Tim O'Brien's 'The Things They Carried,'; the knowledge of death and its closeness causes the men in the story to alter their behavior by changing they way they display power, modifying emotions to relieve guilt, and by exhibiting different actions to ease anxiety.

“The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien is a short story written about the Vietnam War. The title has two meanings. The first is their duties and equipment for the war. The second, the emotional sorrows they were put through while at war. Their wants and needs, the constant worry of death were just a few of the emotional baggage they carried. During the Vietnam War, like all wars, there were hard times. Being a soldier wasn’t easy. Soldiers always see death, whether it be another soldier or an enemy. In “The Things They Carried,” Tim O’Brien explores the motivation of solders in the Vietnam War to understand their role in combat, to stay in good health, and accept the death of a fellow soldier.

Out of all the things these soldiers carried, the thumb Norman Bowker carried was most surprising to me. What item I found was most evocative during the war was the letters from Martha because they distracted Jimmy Cross while he was on the front lines and one of his men died while he was thinking about her. The items that would stay with me would be the Bible, the letters, and the diary. The Bible stays with me because I would know with the Bible I would have God on my side, the letters would make me feel good knowing I had someone writing to me, and the diary to write down everything I have experience in the war. The meaning of the title, “The Things They Carried” is all of these soldiers carried things that were tangible, intangible, and

O'Brien's The Things They Carried O’Connor remarks “The Things They Carried” is a short story that is written “as an experience not an abstraction” and that “the meaning has been embodied in it”. These quotations are truly pure in description and interpretation of the short story as the reader, must look beyond the crude physical properties of the objects and actions chronicled and focus more upon their hidden meanings and messages. O’Brien uses the physical characteristics of weight to make an impact upon the reader to relate with the men. In emphasizing the soldier’s everyday burden, the reader can easily relate to the situation in general. As the story progresses, the main attention of the