The Things They Carried Essays

The conclusion of the novel The Things They Carried, suggests that with the use of imagination and storytelling, can overcome the after effects of experiencing a traumatic event. In the concluding paragraph Tim O’Brien explains that his childhood love Linda died; however he can still be with her with the help of his imagination. O’Brien says, “I can still see her as if through ice, as if I’m gazing into some other world, a place where there are no brain tumors and no funeral homes, where there are

you may fully not understand is truly a terrible thought to imagine. Realizing there was nowhere to hide or run, not knowing when death will be coming is the true fear of it all that many wanted not to experience firsthand. In the novel The Things They Carried: A Work of Fiction, Tim O’Brien unfolds the story of young men, himself, and the unforgiving truth about the draft, who among many resisted and dodged the Vietnam War are told through experiences and stories in the novel. Vietnam War goes down

In The Things They Carried, there are many characters that are brought up for a barely a chapter, yet they have significant meanings. Throughout the book there are more than a couple short explained characters. For example, Marry Anne, Kathleen, and El Roy. Mary Anne was described as a pure and wholesome soul who most likely did not belong in this gruesome war. In the story, we were told she was such an innocent body. But she soon began to take true attributes of a soldier. Becoming someone you

For example, take this quote from the passage; “ it was the deadness. We put his personal effects in a plastic bag and tied the bag to his arm. We stripped off the canteens and ammo, all the heavy stuff, and wrapped him up in his own poncho and carried him out to a dry paddy and laid him down.” In this specific part of the passage Tim uses imagery within his detailed yet very articulate language, which allows the reader to visualize in their head what Tim is actually seeing. This not only lets

The Role of Martha in The Things They Carried In The Things They Carried, Martha was a woman who Lieutenant Cross had deep feelings for. He was truly in love with her even though he knew she probably did not feel the same way. Martha sent Cross letters that he cherished so much, he spent most of his time reading them. Martha had Cross’s mind focused completely on her instead of what was going on in his surroundings. Martha was a distraction, she was part of the reason one of his men had died but

negative responses. These negative responses include higher incidents of mental illness and suicide, among other things. According to the Journal of American College Health, “traditional masculine role socialization produces a wide range of interpersonal patterns and behaviors that are profoundly harmful to society and to men themselves.” (Brooks, 5) O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” is set during the

Change In The Things They Carried a war novel by Tim O'Brien, we are told many short stories compiled to make a whole. I want to emphasis on the importance of the chapter "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong". In this chapter we are introduced to the character Mary Anne. She shows the changing power of Vietnam, that a sweet innocent young girl can come into this land and be forever consumed by her surroundings. The speaker show us this through character action, character description, dialogue and metaphor;

grieved with woes. A former marine, Tim O’Brien, wrote The Things They Carried in order to demonstrate this aforementioned warning as well the cryptic reality of Vietnam. By implementing a cataloging technique, O’Brien truly brings the horrifying stories of Vietnam to life further roping in his readers so much that they feel themselves carrying the characters burdens of the Alpha Company. Ultimately O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried,

The Importance of the Word Imagine In the short story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien imagine is the most important word because it creates many emotions amongst the soldiers, and also gives them a release from the reality of war. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is deeply in love with Martha causing him to frequently have flash backs or visualize that he is in a different place with her and not at war, which creates difficulties between him and the rest of his soldiers. Cross uses his daydreaming

In Tim O’Brien’s shocking war story, “The Things They Carried”, the author does a few things that would be considered odd in the modern world of literature, these include telling the readers beforehand whether or not the story will have a happy/ tragic ending, and the factuality. His habit of revealing the result of the story beforehand, is much like the prologue of Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare states, “Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage; The which, if you with patient