English 102 09 June 2012 War “The Things They Carried”, by Tim O’Brien is a short story that uncovers the life of soldiers during the Vietnam War. During the war soldiers carried many things on them like backpacks, helmets, jackets and camouflage cover which were called SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) and also many other war necessities. They also carried personal items like bibles, comic books, photograph, and letters. “The things they carried were largely determined by the necessity”. (O’Brien 117).
Narrative intervention The Aftermath Boys of Blood and Bone The physical demands of farm life were a job, but it takes Bob’s mind off the crude memories he endured during the war with Andy and Darcy. While cleaning out the septic tank, the smell reminded Bob of being stuck in the trenches under heavy fire for weeks surrounded by decaying bodies. Since being back from the war, Bob has been sleep deprived due to nightmares of the horrific bloodshed he had faced. Now he always kept a gun under his pillow. Every morning at exactly 0400 hours he would get dressed and pray for Andy and the men lost in that battle.
The Things They Carried The book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is about a Vietnam War veteran who explains the life changing events that the members of Alpha Company as well as himself had experienced and witnessed before, during and after the Vietnam War and how these gruesome memories had impacted the lives of these soldiers. Things they will never forget and can’t seem to let go of. Although this is a fictional book it gives the reader a sense of imagery while reading, making you apart of these war events that go on in these soldiers minds. O’Brien seems to capture these dramatic moments through his writing of stories and structure in which he wrote them in, capturing the ‘truth’ of war. O’Brien begins his book by describing the things the men at war would carry with them which was a ton.
(Sanders, 324) The men are forced onward by shotgun-wielding guards. This is a metaphor for the situation of most of the men the author knows growing up, as he describes several instances of men working tiring jobs their entire lives, only for their bodies to give out on them. The shotguns at their backs represent the bills to pay and the families to support. (325) The author gives the lone exception of the soldiers he knew as a boy, but acknowledges that they too suffered under burdens; those of boredom, and the very real threat of deployment and death in wars they had no say in nor part in the starting of. As the author puts it, the bleak nature of men is “killing themselves or preparing to kill others.”(Sanders, 327) The second part of the essay is mainly devoted to women.
He said the letters he would receive “were signed Love, Martha, but Lieutenant Cross understood that Love was only a way of signing and did not mean what he sometimes pretended it meant.” (The Things They Carried, Penguin, 1990, line 9) Then he goes on to explain the situations with other soldiers. Another main character, Ted Lavender carried many things. He carried food, baggage such as ponchos, guns, and more specifically that he was scared so was never without tranquilizers or “six or seven ounces of premium dope” ( The Things They Carried, Penguin, 1990, line23) He was also said to have carried “unweighted fear” (The Things They Carried, Penguin, 1990, line 64) that he had died with, in Than Khe. Ted Lavender dying was the turning point of this story; it was now that Lieutenant Cross finds his fatal attraction with Martha to be more of a distraction, and an unhealthy, damaging one at that. He feels completely responsible for one of his men’s death and decides to straighten up.
Disease, biting insects, infection, and the desire to kill plagued the men on both sides of the war. Caputo and his men stumbled across a base camp of the Viet Cong. Inside they found letters and photographs of their loved ones and families. This was the first time any of them felt guilt and regret for the lives they had taken. It made many of them realize that the enemies were just like themselves.
Kattie Shull Katherine Minott English 102 August 24, 2012 The Things They Carried The Things They Carried was written by O’Brien and was published in 1986. O’Brien was drafted into the Vietnam War which gives him some knowledge on war and what happens during it. In this short story he wrote about Lieutenant Cross and how he was in love with a women named Martha. He was also the leader of his squad and was always on lookout for the enemy since he was responsible for his men’s lives. Cross is responsible for the death of Lavenders life because he was day dreaming of Martha, not keeping his mind on War and he loved Martha more than he loved his men therefore his only way to keep his mind clear he was to burn the letters that Martha
Paul Baumer, the main character and narrator in All Quiet on the Western Front has been enlisted with his classmates in the German army of World War I. Throughout this novel, the author, Erich Maria Remarque expresses the horrors of war and how Paul’s friends and his life was impacted negatively because of such a bloody, terrifying war experience. Before the war, Paul was a compassionate and sensitive young man who loved his friends and family very much. The war had done horrible things to him and destroyed him both mentally and physically. Paul and his friends experienced death scenes from the ones that stood by them since they stepped foot on the battle field to the ones on the other side.
In The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien employs indirect characterization through imagery and refrain to illustrate a collective brutal rite of passage for young American men. The audience is exposed to the protagonist’s, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, experiences in the Vietnam War as he reminisces about a girl named Martha, develops a closer relationship with his comrades, and further understands the horrors of war. At the beginning of the war Jimmy is withdrawn emotionally and inexperienced; by the end of the war he sacrifices his love and fantasy for Martha for the protection and safety of his men. In this story O’Brien uses the description of specific items to give the reader a better understanding of the key characters. Using a repetitive
The Weight of Emotion Tim O-Brien’s “The Things They Carried” was an interesting story about a group of solders trying to get the best out of a not so good situation. The main character, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, was a young man responsible for his troop, which he had been assigned during the Vietnam War. The first thing you think about when you read the title and begin reading the story is what supplies the troop carried on their mission. After reading the “The Things They Carried,” you realize the story is about so much more than first meets the eye. Although you might suggest otherwise that the story is about a group of young men in their journey of survival crossing the battlefield.