Who Is The Soldier In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

One of the most overlooked aspects in the life of a soldier is the weight of the things they carry. In Tim O'Brien's story, "The Things They Carried," O'Brien details the plight of Vietnam soldiers along with how they shoulder the numerous burdens placed upon them. Literally, the heavy supplies weigh down each soldier -- but the physical load imposed on each soldier symbolizes the psychological baggage a soldier carries during war. Though O'Brien lists the things each soldier carries, the focal point centers around the leader, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, and his roles in the war. Lt. Cross has multiple burdens, but his emotional baggage is

Lieutenant Cross deals with many conflicts throughout the short story. The author tells us “precise details of what the men carry (down to brand names and weights of objects listed in ounces) versus the more personal” (Farrel). This describe that the external conflicts are focus more on, versus the soldier’s personal issues and that itself is a problem because no struggle should be minimized. One major conflict he deals with is his inability to take his mind off of a girl he carries pictures of named Martha. Each soldier carries something in their rucksack to help them cope with their realities of war. “To carry something was to “hump” it, as when Lieutenant Jimmy Cross humped his love for Martha up the hills and through the swamps. In its intransitive form, “to hump” meant “to walk,” or “to march,” but it implied burdens far beyond the intransitive” (952). This indirectly gives the reader an illustration of how the soldiers carry some type of stress they are dealing with; it could be the stress of being away from someone you love or the guilt of being apart from him or her. Cross felt

In the novel The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien describes the symbolic roles of the objects a soldier had. Throughout the novel, all soldiers carried something that symbolize their experience in the time of war. A great example is lieutenant Jimmy Cross, who carried both physical and emotional things in his time and experience during the war in Vietnam.

In the story The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien uses literary devices such as imagery and repetition to show how conflict impact humanity in ways of making people care for who they have and how long they have them.

Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried places readers in the shoes of soldiers such as Jimmy Cross, Kiowa or Rat Kiley in order to offer readers a better understanding of what American soldiers faced during the Vietnam War. By recreating the atmosphere of the Vietnam War time period accurately, O’brien had the freedom of adding realistic, but truly fictional elements to make his story more life-like. While none of the soldiers in this story are real individuals, his use of character’s point of view and their stream of consciousness helps to present their emotions and reactions in a very accurate way. Tim O'Brien employs the literary elements of perspective and syntactical expression to bring readers into a very realistic, yet fictional parallel

In the book, The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien; the men in combat carried many things, each with a specific purpose for survival. Each man carried individual items, which weighed between 12 and 18 pounds, and added onto this weight with other necessities for the whole group. The necessities the men carried depended upon a man's rate of metabolism, and their habits. All the men were required to carry large 5 lb steel helmets, and jungle boots, with a weight of 2.1 lbs. Another requirement was that all the men carry a steel centered, nylon-covered flak jacket, with a weight of 6.7lbs. In the field, a poncho was a multi-purpose treasure, and could even be used as a body carrier. What the men carried also depended on their rank, and their

In the first chapter of the short story, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, every character carries literal figurative things with them. Each item they carry has a significant meaning that helps them keep their mindset straight and their psychological well being intact. The soldiers are in war, most likely they are all scared of death. They need something on their mind to make them happy and also help them survive further on with the war. That is why Tim O’Brien’s piece is a perfect example to read, to learn more about some of the burdens that may be in some soldiers.

Tim O’Brien begins the book with a short story called “The Things They Carried.” This story contains the details of what the soldiers carried for a multitude of reasons but mainly to demonstrate that everyone that goes to war has a specific role and certain duties that they have to fill, to show that each person has a background story as to why they have what they do and what they do what they do, and to show the physical and mental strength of each individual soldier. O’Brien begins the story with details of what Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried that was related to Martha. “...Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha... They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping…” (O’Brien 1). He was madly in love with this girl and the

The things they carried are a story written by Tim O’Brien about a group of US solders that are fighting in the Vietnam War. This story centers on First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross his band of brothers.  In this story we follow Lt Cross through the jungles, in the caves, and across the rice patties of Vietnam. We get the rare opportunity of looking into what a man thinks and does when he is stranded thousands of miles from his home, family, and friends. The name of this story suggests what it is about; the things they carried. It talks about the their experience in Vietnam and what they carried physically and mentally.

The story of Things they carried written by author Tim O’Brien is the story of a group of young men who served during the war in Vietnam. The story explains the physical and mental burdens of war, carried by each individual, for the battle, their love, and their superstitious beliefs. Of the group, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, their leader, was a young man who carried the heaviest load. First Lieutenant Cross was often distracted by thoughts of a girl named Martha, whom he had met before the war. Martha was a college student in New Jersey who had sent Lieutenant Cross letters and good luck charms. Though Martha’s intentions were innocent, Lieutenant Cross never understood them that way, as a matter of fact, he often fantasized about Martha

In his book “The Things They Carried,” Tim O’Brien is both narrator and protagonist. The book is about his personal experience in the Vietnam War and describes how each soldier in the platoon feels about the war. In O’Brien’s book title “Things” has a significant meaning:

“The Things They Carried” provides a personal view into the minds of soldiers, and tells us the emotional and psychological costs of war. The soldiers may have carried physical objects, but some of these objects connect to a deeper psychological weight most do not see.

Tim O’Brien wrote a collection of related short stories titled The Things They Carried, that follows a platoon of American soldiers in the Vietnam War and when they return to their homes. Throughout the novel, O’Brien uses real names and includes himself, as the protagonist, to create a style that ebbs and flows from fiction to non-fiction without realization. According to Kathleen Laura MacArthur, it is “through this process and these stylistic innovations, the reader might then experience this trauma secondhand and, perhaps, relate this trauma to one’s own personal traumatic experience” (26). At first, the reader is introduced to the narrator First Lieutenant Tim O’Brien; he begins to talk about his love for a woman named Martha and how he carries her letters and good-luck pebble with him. As O’Brien continues, he explains all the various things the men of the company carry. In most cases, these “things” are physical objects and depend on factors such as the individual’s priorities and necessities. In addition, he talks about items that are universal among the men, such as mosquito repellent, chewing gum, matches, C rations and a multi-use poncho. These possessions serve as an opportunity for us to see into the emotional burdens each soldier carries. As the title of this novel refers to the things, or “weight,” the soldiers carry, the soldiers are changed from lively, young people to hardened and cold throughout the war by the tragic events they go through, tasks they must

In the story "The things they carried" By Tim O'Brien, It consisted of several soldiers who carried there basic necessities, necessary equipment, and some of their most prized possessions while marching through the muddy grasslands during the Vietnam War. The soldiers were led by their first lieutenant a young twenty-two year old named Jimmy Cross. During their tour of duty in Vietnam a soldier by the name of Ted Lavender was killed while walking away from his fellow soldiers to use the restroom. I think as the first lieutenant Jimmy Cross is partially responsible for Tim Lavenders death. Because, He was never focused on the task at hand. Jimmy Cross was focusing more on young lady at Mount Sebastian college named Martha. "He pictured Martha's

The short story “The Things They Carried”, written by Tim O’Brien, is a story written in 1986 in the setting of the Vietnam War. The main character, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, is a young man who struggles with the battle of love while being away at war. Cross leads his men with the thought of Martha, the woman he loves, in the back of his head at nearly all times, which distracts him from the true harshness of the war. The list of the things the soldiers carry in O’Brien’s short story tell us what tangibles the men carry with them that are necessities for the battles, but they also carry intangibles with them such as the letters, and the dope to help comfort them in a time of fear. These possessions express the character of the men in the squad. All of the men in the squad carry something with them whether it is tangible or intangible that defines who they are. These things that the soldiers carry with them are not only items strapped on their shoulders but they are now a part of who they are during this period of time in their lives.