Friendship In The Things They Carried

In the short story “The Things They Carried”, Tim O’Brien wrote about the experience of war and the feelings young soldiers felt during their long days of travel. During the story he keeps referring back to the things the soldiers chose to carry in their packs. Some of these items included necessity items like grenades and ammunition, but they also carry sentimental items like love letters and pictures. These items help the reader better understand each person for who they are and help us to understand the physical situation the soldiers are in. In “The Things They Carried”, Tim O’Brien describes the item the soldiers carry in their packs and the emotional weight they carry to help give a better

In “The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien the theme of “carrying” both physical and emotional objects by the main characters can be found in the novel. While these men carry the same standard physical army gear, they differentiate with personal tangible and intangible items. From Lieutenant Cross’s responsibility of his men, to Henry Dobbin’s girlfriend’s pantyhose for its magic, each man faced the war with these things attached.

Throughout The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien it is difficult to separate what is fictitious, and what is true. During the entire work there are two different “truths”, which are “story truth” and “happening truth”. “Happening truth” is the actual events that happen, and is the foundation or time line on which the story is built on. “Story truth” is the molding or re-shaping of the “happening truth” that allows the story to be believable and enjoyable. It is not easy to distinguish “happening truth” from “story truth”, and at times during the novel O’brien reveals which is which. On the other hand, when the reader is blind to

In, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, there is a quote “they all carried ghosts.”, this metaphor can represent the many things the soldiers carried. Every soldier carries things that represent memories or security. In war, the soldiers are confronted with death every day so they carry things that remind them of people, memories, or hope.

Whether it be losing your best friend, a soldier, or simply unable to find someone, soldiers will experience any type of Isolation and Loneliness. In “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, Loneliness and Isolation is not only a feeling in the story, but a motif/symbol. It was used as a imaginary object the soldiers carried. Isolation and Loneliness was a dangerous thing. “One night they start hearing voices. Like at a cocktail party. That’s what it sounds like, this big swank gook cocktail party somewhere out there in the fog….. “‘The guys can’t cope. They lose it. They get on the radio and report enemy movement - a whole army, they say - and they order up the firepower’”(O’Brien, 70-71). Being alone had caused them to hallucinate. Moreover,

One literary technique prominent in The Things They Carried, particularly in the story by the same name, is symbolism. Throughout this story, O’Brien mentions all the things that the soldiers carry with them, both physical and emotional. However, the physical items that the men carried is more than just

The Things They Carried is a collection of stories about the Vietnam War that the author, Tim O’Brien, uses to convey his experiences and feelings about the war. The book is filled with stories about the men of Alpha Company and their lives in Vietnam and afterwards back in the United States. O’Brien captures the reader with graphic descriptions of the war that make one feel as if they were in Vietnam. The characters are unique and the reader feels sadness and compassion for them by the end of the novel. To O’Brien the novel is not only a compilation of stories, but also a release of the fears, sadness, and anger that he has felt because of the Vietnam War.

There are many levels of truth in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. This novel deals with story-telling as an act of communication and therapy, rather than a mere recital of fact. In the telling of war stories, and instruction in their telling, O'Brien shows that truth is unimportant in communicating human emotion through stories.

The novel, The Things They Carried is a story of one man’s accounts resulting to his tour of duty in Vietnam. Many of the men that are discussed in the book continued to be effected by the war, long after they returned home. Men were left emotionally scared, even if they managed to get out of the war physically unharmed. The

The Things They Carried is a story based on the experiences of young American soldiers fighting during the Vietnam War. The story begins giving you insight into the thoughts of the soldiers, describing to you what they humped along with them through their walk in the deep jungle of Vietnam. Some of those things were necessities P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing-gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets (81) and some were objects to give them hope. Throughout the story you follow a young platoon of men on their journey through the jungle never knowing which day could be the last day of their lives. The author, Tim O’Brien, using very accurate description and detail gives us

In the novel The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, many literary devices are used to tell the tale of a Vietnam War experience. Many of these devices are used repeatedly, and can be identified through close reading. A particular excerpt located in “The Things They Carried” section uses repetition and simile to give the reader an idea of the mental and emotional affect of the death of a companion.

Tim O’Brien uses careful consideration in the words that he places on the pages of his short story “The Things They Carried”, the most integral to the story being the word weight since it is a motif in this story that is able to convey several meanings depending on the context in which it is used and, it is able to relate to the reader complex emotions in a fairly simple metaphor. It is a word that if taken out, the story would not be able to function as it is so central to the story. “The Things They Carried” is dependent on the concept of weight, and all of the possible meanings it is able to encompass.

Each item aids in the comfort and survival of the individual, with certain men carrying different equipment according to their classification. Some items were carried for good luck, some for pleasure, and others for defense. The underlying items these men carried suppressed fear, anxiety, homesickness, and the fact that they carried each other. The writer introduces items into the story so the reader can form a picture of who that person is, their personally, their strengths and their weaknesses.

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a book that should be read by teenagers today. It teaches a lot of things that would benefit teenagers and people in general. But there are a few things to consider before reading the book such as taste and sensitivity.

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a collection of short stories that he and his friends had experienced during the Vietnam War. During all of these recollections, O’Brien reveals many different themes throughout the book. Theme is a person's perspective, because one person views everything completely different than another. Three of the main themes in this book are love, guilt, and hope. These themes are abstract and concrete in many ways; as are all the other themes.