The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien: Chapter Analysis

In the twelfth chapter of The Things They Carried, author Tim O’Brien discusses the themes of shame and imagination, which come into play when O’Brien kills a man. At first, O’Brien can only describe the man physically, but then he transitions into imagining his life and aspirations, such as how the man “exchanged gold rings” (122) with the woman he loved and how he “devoted himself to his studies” (122). This image only distresses O’Brien more, as he feels that he ended a worthy life, a life of an innocent. Also, O’Brien expresses himself through the life he creates for the man; both men have ambitions that are destroyed because of a war they loathe. I took pleasure in reading this chapter because O’Brien mentally transported me into the world

In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien uses Juxtaposition, Symbolism, and Point of View to show the burdens carried by the soldiers, and the effects war can have on individuals. He wrote the vignette in order to bring a greater awareness to Americans who were unaware of the dark reality of war. Juxtapositions, such as Desire versus Shame, Morality versus Crime, and Talking versus Distraction, are primary modes by which O’Brien shares the burdens of soldiers. Also, individual juxtapositions such as “Gentle Killer (O’Brien 66)” are used along with dichotomies as a window into the heart of the soldiers, and to show the ambivalence they held when making choices. “On the Rainy River” describes the Desire versus Shame conflict within O’Brien immediately after he was drafted for the Vietnam.

As O’Brien starts to tell his story, he begins with a rhetorical element, a flashback, from when he was running away from the war. “Elroy was the caretaker, and for six days in the summer of 1968 Elroy watched over me as I made my decision” (O’Brien 278). He met his hero at the Lodge he stayed at; likewise, Elroy helped him by just being there for him. “He was a witness,

"The Things They Carried" list the variety of things his fellow soldiers in the Alpha Company brought on their missions. Several of these things cannot be seen, including guilt and fear, while others are specific physical objects, including matches, morphine, M-16 rifles, and M&M's candy.

One of the main characters in the short story “The Things They Carried”, written by Tim O’Brien, is a twenty-four year old Lieutenant named Jimmy Cross. Jimmy is the assigned leader of his infantry unit in the Vietnam War, but does not assume his role accordingly. Instead, he’s constantly daydreaming, along with obsessing, over his letters and gifts from Martha. Martha is a student at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey, Jimmy’s home state. He believes that he is in love with Martha, although she shows no signs of loving him. This obsession is a fantasy that he uses to escape from reality, as well as, take his mind off of the war that surrounds him, in Vietnam. The rest of the men in his squad have items that they carry too, as a way

In Tim O’Brien’s story “The Things They Carried” published in 1990, he introduces a Lieutenant named Jimmy Cross who is fighting in the Vietnam War during the 1960’s. This story not only describes what the soldiers carry physically, but how they leave with weight mentally. There are two conflicts in the story, the major one being the Vietnam War itself and the minor one being Cross’s unhealthy one-sided love for Martha. Cross becomes conflicted and distracted by the thought of Martha, which causes one of his men, Ted Lavender, to get shot and killed. Because of his actions, Cross becomes guilt-ridden and ashamed. While Cross grieves for Lavender, he decides to burn his photos of Martha and puts the memories behind him. He then makes the choice of

1. How does O’Brien use The Things They Carried to cope with the psychological impact of his experience in the war?

It is a story about the soldiers and their experiences and emotions that are brought

     How does death affect the behavior of people? Although death affects everyone's behavior differently, knowledge of one's imminent death is a main force behind behavioral changes. This knowledge causes emotions that motivate people to act in ways that they normally would not. In Tim O'Brien's 'The Things They Carried,'; the knowledge of death and its closeness causes the men in the story to alter their behavior by changing they way they display power, modifying emotions to relieve guilt, and by exhibiting different actions to ease anxiety.

“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.

Elroy, for example, is a minor character who only appears in “On the Rainy River”, yet within this specific story he is irreplaceable. Elroy represents a God-like figure in O’Brien’s life while he tries to decide whether he wants to flee the war and go to Canada or follow his duty to Viet Nam. Elroy is significant because his relationship with O’Brien does not have ulterior motives. He seems to help O’Brien come to a decision without persuading him towards one side or the other. He is simply there to support him. O’Brien’s intention for including Elroy in the novel is to show that everyone needs someone who is supportive of them no matter what. People just need someone to be there for them. The problem is, few people can actually live up to this holy standard. This idea presents itself later in the novel. It is why so many men, like Norman Bowker, have trouble after the war. There is

Secondly, O’Brien uses figurative language to give his readers the tools to understand his story. He knows that most who read The Things They Carried don’t share any experience with war. The use of metaphors gives them the ability to somewhat understand what the characters are feeling emotionally. An example of figurative language can be found when Lt. Cross is talking about tunnel duty.

In “How to Tell a True War Story”, storytelling and memory is shown by the detail in each event told. Memory affects individuals not only the day after, but for a lifetime. Tim O’Brien never forgot the Vietnam war, even though some details are shaky. He says,”... or else the point doesn’t hit you until twenty years later, in your sleep, and you wake up and shake your wife and start telling the story to her…”(O’Brien 78). Many stories from the war may fade, but the concept never leaves.

Thus, O’Brien wants the readers to understand that it is not the events that happened, but the feelings these men felt, and emphasize this by repeating it multiple times; then described that it is this way because since the soldiers are in the war they lose the sense of what is real and unreal. Therefore, O’Brien does this so his audience understand that there is more to the story than just words. As well as to make his audience think deeper in a way that when he is using metaphors saying “war is hell” war is not actually hell, but the events that occurred, people dying, being isolated, feeling shame because they acted unreasonable, made these men feel like they were actually in hell. Therefore, he successfully persuades the audience that the war stories are true and untrue by reinforcing his message at the end, and leave the reader with a final thought which is his whole point in this

Tim O’Brien uses several rhetorical strategies in this story. A strategy that is easily found in the story is imagery. He uses a lot of sensory details to help the reader know what it feels like in a certain situation. “Except for the laughter things were quiet,” (67) and “You hear stuff