Why The Soldiers In The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

The symbols in Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” are essential to understanding the soldiers and their lives during the Vietnam War. At the opening of the story, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross would dig into his foxhole and read the letters while imagining romance with Martha; however, at the end of the story after the death of Ted Lavender, he “crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha’s letters” (402). The inner feelings of Cross would be mistakenly ignored without the help of symbols throughout his travel through Vietnam. O’Brien uses the emotional and physical weight carried by the soldiers as a representation of their personalities and how they prefer to cope with the war. The

Tim O’Brien wrote The Things They Carried based on some of his own experiences in the Vietnam War. The characters he created are similar to the men he knew in the war. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross was a character that O’Brien’s character knew very well. Lieutenant He is not focused and does not seem to know his purpose in the war or in his life. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is a character that experiences overwhelming emotions but he does not show them. He seems to feel lost in the war and burdened with responsibility.

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.

Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” is an interesting story that takes place during the Vietnam War. O’Brien writes in third person omniscient and is only in the head of the main character; First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. In the story O’Brien describes not only the physical baggage each soldier carries, but hints at the emotional baggage as well. With this, readers get to see exactly what goes on in the soldier’s minds, but also Cross’s mind and what kind of character he is. Throughout the story Cross confesses profusely about loving Martha, who in return doesn’t see him as a lover but a friend. Martha is Cross’s friend and crush who constantly writes to him. Because Cross is so infatuated with Martha, she clouds his mind almost 24/7. In the beginning of the story all Cross could think of is Martha, however because of this he

“The Things They Carried’ by Tim O’Brien is a novel whose theme is not only related to soldiers but to everyday people as well. The theme of this novel lies in the struggles that soldiers bear, both physically and emotionally. The title —The Things They Carried— and most of

Lieutenant Cross deals with many conflicts throughout the short story. The author tells us “precise details of what the men carry (down to brand names and weights of objects listed in ounces) versus the more personal” (Farrel). This describe that the external conflicts are focus more on, versus the soldier’s personal issues and that itself is a problem because no struggle should be minimized. One major conflict he deals with is his inability to take his mind off of a girl he carries pictures of named Martha. Each soldier carries something in their rucksack to help them cope with their realities of war. “To carry something was to “hump” it, as when Lieutenant Jimmy Cross humped his love for Martha up the hills and through the swamps. In its intransitive form, “to hump” meant “to walk,” or “to march,” but it implied burdens far beyond the intransitive” (952). This indirectly gives the reader an illustration of how the soldiers carry some type of stress they are dealing with; it could be the stress of being away from someone you love or the guilt of being apart from him or her. Cross felt

The war has changed O'Brien in many ways, it has taught him lessons, shown him things he has never seen before, been in situations that were virtually difficult situations to be in. He entered the war as a younger man who was scared of what would come to be if he tried to dodge the draft and war. He was afraid of the shame it would bring to him and his family. Although he contemplated dodging the war he ultimatley came to going to Vietnam and joining the fight. From this, O'Brien comes out of the war with horrific stories and events that took place reselling them throughout the novel so that the reader could get a clear understanding of the misconceptions of war and what it truly is. As said, " In a true war story, if theirs a moral at all,

In the novel “The Things They Carried” Tim O’Brien introduces the reader not only to the subject of war and physical exhaustion, but also to human feelings and inner struggle soldiers are going through at this war. The soldiers carry not only heavy equipment and necessary things; they carry emotions which strengthen their hope of staying alive in order to continue their mission. Tim O’Brien uses female figure Martha to create psychological escape which distracts a young soldier, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, from the war. However, such distraction leads to death of a group member, Ted Lavender. The illusion of love for Martha and false hopes gradually transform into bitter feeling of guilt and the harsh reality of war. Tim O’Brien masterfully describes

Many life events occurred following this platoon of soldiers that will forever be remembered. Tim O'Brien once said, “The thing about remembering is that you won't forget” (pg #). Through war, many tragedies, excitement, and small unforgettable events that happened with these soldiers. They will never forget the burdens, shame, and the deaths and mortality they experienced in the Vietnam War. The novel The Things They Carried by Tim ‘O'Brien is about Vietnam war stories. O’Brien also appears in the books as the protagonist. In this platoon, he is led by Jimmy Cross, the shepherd of the group. His other comrades in the squad are Norman Bowker, Henry Dobbins, and lastly Rat Kiley. They all have their own variety of stories to express the baggage of deaths, internal struggles, and

While all the characters carry actual physical items, like guns and food, they also carry emotional baggage like grief, love, longing, depression, and fear. The author connects the physical and emotional through the story. One such case is with Henry Dobbins. Dobbins carries his girlfriend’s pantyhose and he is emotional connected to that object because it means love and comfort too him. Her memory is tied to her pantyhose. Because the story is told in first person, we are able to see inside of Jimmy Cross’s head. We can see that another burden the men carry is the weight of their reputation. Because of this, we see how the men turn their fear of being shamed into motivation. For example, we learn that Jimmy Cross joined the war mostly because his friends had. He felt he should do it. However, he quickly realizes he does not know what to do. He is a confused leader who endangered the lives of his men and this lead to more emotional baggage but also clears Cross’s vision. After the loss of one of his soldiers he clear his head but gives up a lot of himself. He makes a conscious decision not to feel anymore. He needs to become what is men need and expect. This can also attempt to show just how war can effect someone. Some of the motifs of this story can be seen in the jungle. In the jungle of Vietnam the men’s perception of right and wrong are blurred. Just has the heat and

Author Tim O'Brien in his novel "The Things They Carried" tells short stories about the things solders of Vietnam and things they carry. The things they carry during the war are important to the novels stories to show how each character goes through war. Both symbolic or abstract and physical things have meaning to their story. Jimmy Cross carried many things both physical and abstract that define him as an average human being and as a leader.

Unacquainted love is stronger than drugs to keep us alive. Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is a work of fiction. However, since the Author himself drafted, served in Vietnam the descriptive language of the daily humps through an untamed landscape allows the reader to carry their pack along with Lieutenant Cross’s platoon. Although the letters that Martha sent to Lieutenant Cross was only 10 ounces the weight of their effect was immeasurable. How could a young man expected to dredge through unfamiliar terrain without holding out for a future hope of the life that he left behind. How did this love take effect on First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross stream of consciousness in hopes, daydreams, and future survival in the Vietnam war?

Being responsible for the lives of the Alpha Company men proves to be demanding enough without the proper guidance, a struggle Jimmy Cross must learn to cope with while learning to cope with his own personal grievances. Tim O’Brien’s short story, The Things They Carried, highlights Cross’ daily distractions from his duty to these men and the consequences he faces because of his actions. As Cross leads his platoon through the Vietnam War, the story explains the necessities everyone must carry for their respective positions in the platoon. Along with the physical weight the soldiers must carry, the story sheds light on the unseen, emotional baggage that the men carry with them every single day. Faced with the devastating effects of losing a close

The narrator in “The Man He Killed” by Thomas Hardy is a soldier that killed someone and the narrator in “The Things They Carried” is Tim O’ Brien who writes about his own experiences in Vietnam. I like Tim O’ Brien’s writing because it reminds me of movies like “Platoon” and “Full Metal Jacket”. I love movies like those and as I read “The Things they carried” my head flows with war movies and I imagine the book is a war movie in its self. On the other hand I am not a fan of Thomas Hardy “The Man He killed”. I personally believe the poem is weak and it doesn’t seem like there is any effort into it. I do give him credit because I don’t know if I could manage to have something as simple as pointing and shooting someone into five stanzas. Death on the other hand has different effects on people.

“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.