A Short Story: The Things They Carried Thud

The reverberation of gunshots and humans screaming and crying in trepidation pulverized his heart profoundly. The circumstance’s exigency drove Sgt. Salazar to move rapidly around the bank towards the front, where he got a clear view through the window from the outside.

In the book "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien there is a chapter titled "The Lives Of The Dead". The chapter can be summarized as O'Brien retells two stories that show parallels to one another in order to show in great emotional depth the reason he has written this book. The chapter begins and he tells us a story about the members of Alpha Company finding a dead man and interacting with him as though he is alive. Later in the chapter he makes a comparison between this event and the death of his childhood crush. This chapter ends with O'Brien saying that though these people are lost, stories can'save' them.

The things they carried was a very interesting book that was filled with various stories. They all took place during the Vietnam War and follow multiple protagonists that reappear in later stories. Throughout the story, there is a vast number of themes and symbolism. One theme I found interesting is the theme of physical and emotional burdens. This was especially noticeable in ‘’The Things They Carried’’, where they were carrying both literally and figurative. ‘’ They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide, and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down, it required perfect balance and perfect posture.’’ (pg. 77) Sure enough, soldiers have to endure walking miles upon miles with a heavy backpack along with war equipment and standard m-16’s and such, but it becomes evident that the emotional burdens on their shoulders weigh more than the physical objects. These burdens come in the form of grief, sadness, and a vast number of what is mostly negative emotions. Jimmy Cross, the protagonist of this short story, is a perfect example. He got extremely distracted from his duty as a lieutenant. He even lost one of his men. And yet he could not stop thinking about his love for someone who clearly didn’t love him back. It’s times like that, especially in a war, that require you to put

In his novel, “The Things They Carried” Tim O’Brien paints a picture that seems very strange to those of us who have not experienced war, in his novel, “The Things They Carried.” In one part of book, Tim O’Brien describes his time with an older vietnamese man who guided them through the heavily booby-trapped jungle. While in this life-or-death situation, the platoon seemed to turn the scenario they were in into a game that was being played. A game that had the lives of men on the line. A game that was necessary for survival. But nevertheless, it was a game. The game had one simple rule that the men turned into a rhyme and that the soldiers would chant as they marched through the jungle behind the old man. “Step out of line, hit a mine; follow

“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.

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines the word "weight" as "a mass or quantity of something taken up and carried, conveyed, or transported." Tim O'Brien's war story The Things They Carried, published in 1990, explores the theme of weight and its importance to men at war in considerable depth. The opening chapter of this book, which was originally written as a short story, is comprised of a collection of lists. O'Brien details for his reader both the physical objects, such as cigarettes, C rations, and packets of Kool-Aid, and the more intangible things, such as fear and silent awe, that weigh these soldiers down. With the amount of space that the author gives to

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED written by Tim O’Brien. This book is based on his experience in the Vietnam War. It’s about what actually he did during the Vietnam. Some parts of the book are really cruel and depressing. This is the third book of Tim O’Brien about the Vietnam War. He uses really stressful way to explain how cruel was the war. It’s also a true portrayal of American soldiers’ life in Vietnam. War always change a people so fast, because it’s either death or survive. I think when you can’t avoid something, just enjoy them instead. Take some memorable moments before you are dead would be interesting. “Irony mixed with tragedy, and destroy the reality of death itself. They kicked corpses. They cut off thumbs.” page 19. In this page O’Brien

“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.

If you were in a war what would you take with you? In the book “The Things They Carried” author Tim O’Brien describes the tragic experiences he and other soldiers encounter in the Vietnam War. Tim O’Brien tells the readers what each soldier carries around with them. The men carry these items to help them stay sane, to remind the soldiers what they are fighting for and to help them pull through each night and day. O’Brien associates the physical, psychological and emotional weight the soldiers bear. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, carries around letters and photos from a woman he loves named Martha. Martha is a young college student who does not share the same feeling for Lieutenant Cross. Ultimately Lieutenant Crosses downfall stems from his love for

War , like love, is always present can be a person’s worst nightmare, since it always finds ways to emotionally or physically impact one’s life. Mary Anne and Norman Bowker in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried both possess a strong sense of self certainty, however the war challenges their beliefs by forcing them into extreme situations and thus making them more physically and mentally attached to the war. Mary Anne is seen as a happy and

In the story, The Things They Carried, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is a man who is in two forms of war, one that is in Vietnam, and one that is mental. Lieutenant Cross carried many things while in war. Lieutenant Cross did not just carry equipment, he also “carried the common secret of cowardice barley restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide, and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down, it required perfect balance and posture” (O’Brien, 1198). Throughout this story, various scenes show what could be a temporary change in Lieutenant Cross. In The Things They Carried, Lieutenant Cross made himself a “cowardice” (O’Brien, 1198) escape from the Vietnam war; however, one can soon see that Cross attempts to become a better Lieutenant and realizes that he is required to make a “perfect balance” (O’Brien, 1198) between his mind and his actually duty.

The director portrays this like an old western shoot-out, because Book is walking away then holsters his pistol in a shoot-out type fashion. We see rapid mid-range shots between Book and McPhee which gives us the feeling of a fast paced action movie. This leaves Book wounded and in a state of shock.

The prisoner on the very left began crying, sobbing like a child. The Captain was not swayed by his weeping. She continued. “There is one bullet in this gun,” she said, overwhelming the faint cacophony of gunfire that murmured in the background. “One by one, I will point this gun at your heads. One by one, I will pull the trigger. All you have to do to stop me, is tell me the location of your nuclear devices.”

“The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien is a war fiction story written about an American platoon during the Vietnam War. This story is written 20 years after the Vietnam War. O’Brien successfully uses fiction to bring about the truth of the war. He uses binary opposition such as love and hate, peace and war to express the inner conflict of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross as well as other members of the platoon team have to face with and gives the readers the sense of witness.

Blood rushed to my face. It was a terrible feeling. My knees went weak and my chest was heaving, but I couldn’t breath. I worked day and night for the six long years to just get a taste of success, a glimpse of my potential. But I couldn’t do it; I knew I would never have it in me. I walked down the final stretch of holes with the golf tournament practically in my hands. Cameras were focused, crowds cheered, rain dripped from my cap. The overcast brought back memories of my junior tournaments in Hong Kong. I hated those years. It seemed as if the rain made was my weakness. That day, I had millions of dollars on the line. More than that, I had all my loved ones on the line. I carried all they have sacrificed