The Things They Carried By Tim O ' Brien Essay

In Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”, O’Brien created several allusions that each character endured during the Vietnam War. Throughout the story were vast representations of the things the soldiers carried both mentally and physically. The things they carried symbolized their individual roles internally and externally. In addition to the symbolism, imagination was a focal theme that stood out amongst the characters. This particular theme played a role as the silent killer amongst Lt. Cross and the platoon both individually and collectively as a group. The theme of imagination created an in depth look of how the war was perceived through each character which helped emphasize their thoughts from an emotional standpoint of being young men out at war.

Through The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien moves beyond the horror of fighting in the Vietnam War to examine with sensitivity and insight the nature of courage and fear. Included, is a collection of interrelated stories. A few of the stories are brutal, while others are flawed, blurring the distinction between fact and fiction. All the stories, however, deal with one platoon. Some are about the wartime experiences of soldiers, and others are about a 43-year-old writer reminiscing about his platoon’s experiences. In the beginning chapter, O’Brien rambles about the items the soldiers carry into battle, ranging from can openers, pocketknives, and mosquito repellent o

Many may question the true meaning of love. However, there is not an exact description. According to Merriam-Webster, The full definition of love is “a (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties-maternal love for a child (2): attraction based on sexual desire: affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests”. Love played a role in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is the platoon leader. While stationed in the Vietnam, Lieutenant Cross was infatuated with Martha. He used his memory and imagination to escape from the scenes from the war.

The Vietnam War was a long conflict lasting between 1955 to 1975 between the communist North and the democratic south with help from the United States. More than 3 million people, including 58,000 American troops were killed in the conflict. Tim O 'brien 's short story “The Things They Carried” follows a platoon named alpha company during the peak of the Vietnam war led by first lieutenant Jimmy Cross who is very charismatic but in his mind he is unsure how to lead his squad because his mind tends to wander to a thought of a girl back home. Throughout the story he has overcome with emotions and guilt because he believes he his the reason for some of his squadmates death. “The Things They Carried” Embodies the hardship, reality, and price/toll of war, ultimately Tim O’brien writes this masterpiece as not of a war story, but as a love story and how that love changed a man.

The Vietnam War began in 1954, consisting of many extensive, horrific years of battle that seemed to create more harm to the United States and its soldiers rather than to North Vietnam. The 500,000 United States military personnel returned home with the loss of the war and the loss of their friends on their minds. Although the physical and emotional experiences that the men went through is unfathomable, Tim O’Brien does a great job portraying what life as a soldier was truly like in the Vietnam War. In the book The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien depicts the unstable emotional and psychological condition of the American soldiers through the symbolism of their belongings and personal anecdotes from their lives.

While the Vietnam War was a complex political pursuit that lasted only a few years, the impact of the war on millions of soldiers and civilians extended for many years beyond its termination. Soldiers killed or were killed; those who survived suffered from physical wounds or were plagued by PTSD from being wounded, watching their platoon mates die violently or dealing with the moral implications of their own violence on enemy fighters. Inspired by his experiences in the war, Tim O’Brien, a former soldier, wrote The Things They Carried, a collection of fictional and true war stories that embody the

     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.

Most authors who write about war stories write vividly; this is the same with Tim O’Brien as he describes the lives of the soldiers by using his own experiences as knowledge. In his short story “The Things They Carried” he skillfully reveals realistic scenes that portray psychological, physical and mental burdens carried by every soldier. He illustrates these burdens by discussing the weights that the soldiers carry, their psychological stress and the mental stress they have to undergo as each of them endure the harshness and ambiguity of the Vietnam War. One question we have to ask ourselves is if the three kinds of burdens carried by the soldier’s are equal in size? “As if in slow motion, frame by frame, the world would take on the old

O’Brien’s use of imagery allows him to paint a vivid depiction of the horrors experienced by the foot soldiers in Vietnam. These horrors perpetuate the physical and emotional

“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.

Former president Richard Nixon once said “No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now.” The Vietnam War caused many physical and psychological issues with returning soldiers. Tim O’Brien, a Vietnam veteran, tells of his experience with the war, starting from first getting drafted, to his thoughts while writing in his novel. The Things They Carried is full of unique stories of O’Brien’s life after the war as well as his experiences while in Vietnam.

“War is hell, but that 's not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War is what makes you a man; war makes you dead.”In the autobiography “The things they Carried”author Tim O’Brien, gives his readers insight to the trials,horrors and romances of the Vietnam war.As a young man Mr.O’Brien was forced into the war by the Draft lottery a Selective Service System of the United States conducted to determine the order of call to military service in the Vietnam War for men born from 1944 to 1950. Entering into the Vietnam War Mr.O’Brien, knew he was neither prepared nor made for the harsh realities of armed combat.However after taking a life awakening journey to the Tip Top Inn Mr.O’Brien knew what he had to do, so he went to war.In the story “The things they Carried” Mr.O’Brien not only tells his account of the war but gives account to his fellow soilders version of the war like the young medic Marc Fossie who flew his high school sweetheart May Ann Bell to the base, transforming the book into a love story. Or when fellow soldier Curt Lemon dies and the story turns into somewhat of a shakespearean tragedy.Even when the War is over writer Tim O’brien explains to his audience about how savilians respond to his “war story” and how he told a true war stories are not about living in the moment but surviving for

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

The structure of the plot of “Speaking of Courage,” a passage from the book The Things they Carried by Tim O’Brien, is designed in a way that gives the reader an insight into the emotions and conflicts of the narrator. The plot is comprised of four parts and progresses as the sun sets and Norman Bowker becomes more desperate to resolve his conflict.

In the American society, storytelling continues to play a critical role. Each story, storytellers tells, serves a deep meaning towards their life and provides a medium, allowing the storytellers to keep the information they hold as a remembrance. Indeed, storytelling would bring meanings into one’s life as well. Storytelling offers a pathway that allows ones to stimulate continuous learning, development, connection and to look ahead to their future. Storytelling is an expression of power providing pathways to spiritual knowledge.