We see fragmentation in their respective relationships through the structure. The Manhunt is written in couplets which suggest a relationship between two people. However, there is little rhyme in these couplets which shows us that there isn’t harmony in their relationship. Perhaps the war in which Eddie was in has made his mind focus on the destruction of war to the extent that he can’t think of his relationship. After all, he suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
He feels like his obsession for Martha has led to his failure as a Lieutenant. The author states, “He felt shame. He hated himself. He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry… for the rest of the war” (719). When Lavender is killed Cross believes it is all his fault because he was too busy daydreaming about his love for Martha.
War Brings Out the Best When someone thinks of war what generally comes to mind? Probably death, pain, violence, or that it’s a waste of time? All probably true but has anyone ever considered that war might make someone stronger or it creates a lifetime bond with his or her fellow soldiers. Walter Dean Myers’ novel, Fallen Angels, is about the struggles, gains, and losses of war through the eyes of an ordinary private in the army during the Vietnam War. Through out the novel the men are getting stronger and forming lifelong bonds with each other.
“The Raven” focuses more on symbolism and tone to provide the reader with a glimpse into the mindset of a man stricken with the memories of a lost love. On the contrary, “The Things They Carried” uses epiphanies and imagery to let the reader experience the guilt that Lieutenant Cross experiences after the loss of his comrade. The conflict in “The Things We Carried” is resolved when Lieutenant Cross decides to forego his feelings for Martha and atone for his mistakes by leading the rest of the platoon to the best of his ability. On the other hand, “The Raven” holds no clear resolution for the reader. The story ends with the main character sinking more deeply into his own despair.
Baggage: Inside and Out “The Things They Carried,” written by Tim O’Brien helped recognize particular aspects of the Vietnam War as it associated with the soldiers and their lives individually and collectively. O’Brien described the overall mood of the war and the soldiers involved regarding the physical, psychological, and emotional weight the soldiers bared. We too, as individuals carry things with us in our daily lives that attribute something to our physical or mental well-being. For me, these are feelings as well as tangible objects. The men in this story carried “all the emotional baggage of men who might die.
They do not ever want to show fear. Even after the war, the men still carry the grief of the war. Tim O’Brien carries the image of the young man that he killed, and it haunts him every day. Jimmy Cross tells Tim that he still has no forgiven himself about Ted Lavenders death. “At one point, I remember, we paused over a picture of Ted Lavender, and after a while Jimmy rubbed his eyes and said he’d never forgiven himself for Lavender’s death.
“Effect of War” By Tom Hill War is a harsh imposition on the human psyche and can be both profound, long lasting in it’s repercussions. Tim O’Brien and Frank O’Connor illustrate these in their short stories “Guests of a Nation” and “The Things They Carried”. Each is a tale of a young soldier as he faces the realities and tribulations of times of war as well as the impact and emotional scars these experiences leave with them. Though these stories are depictions of men of differing nationalities, loyalties, and personalities, the conflicts they are embroiled within, as well as the belligerents they engage, are unrelated in locale and time, an infinitely profound and unshakable truth are at their core: War is hell, and none may without leaving a piece of themselves. Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” features a young lieutenant, Jimmy Cross, commander of the Alpha Company during the Vietnam War.
In the beginning of the poem the soldier starts to reminisce about his past. The cyclical nature of the poem is appropriate as it emphasises the pain and the nightmares that are continuously in his mind, giving him no peace or respite. “Poured it down shell-holes till the veins ran dry… a leap of purple spurted from his thigh.” This image when contrasted to the images of his previous life, serves to create a sense of loss for the young. The injury still to this day causes him pain when he thinks about the life he could have had. The soldier reflects on his “youthful” days which effectively exposes Owen’s perspective on the aftermath of war.
Analysis of “The Things They Carried” by William Timothy O’Brien Among the two stories in which is analyzed and compared are “The Things They Carried” and “Fallen Angels”, which represents the point of view for surviving a war. Both of the books also talks about how they were doing in the war. The stories expressed some type of racism in it. In fallen Angels it talks about how Richie met two new recruits named Peewee and Jenkins. Both stories spoke of the order to anchor their narratives to a larger world, but also because they were unable to escape the often terrifying memories of their war experience.
The lists also describe the emotional baggage each soldier carried, such as First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’s (the leader of the squad) love for a girl back home. O’Brien’s use of lists and the repetition gives the reader a good impression of the lifestyle of the soldiers in Vietnam without outwardly and directly saying so, subsequently giving him a stronger argument by allowing the reader to attain the understanding of the situation on their own. The lists O’Brien uses in the story give clarity to the setting of the emotional and physical setting the story takes place in. When one thinks of a list, the natural conclusion is a dull and repetitive page of words, possibly bulleted or in some other such order, but never really all that interesting to read. O’Brien uses this to his advantage to give the reader a true sense of what the experience in Vietnam was for the common soldier, while at the same time not describing it outright, which is something he says later in the story cannot be done in simple words.