People get so caught up in what others think and expect of them that they let it completely control the decisions they make. The soldiers in “The Things They Carried” have a fear of looking weak and cowardice. They let this fear and their pride control them even if it is not what they want. Tim O’Brien, Norman Bowker, and Curt Lemon are examples of soldiers who let fear control them. The soldiers fear that the people close to them and around them will discover their weaknesses. Tim O’Brien had just graduated from Macalester College when he was drafted into the war. He describes himself as “politically naive” but, he believed that the war was wrong. In the book he states “I was too good for this war. Too smart, too compassionate, too everything. It couldn’t happen.” Tim thought that him being drafted into the war was a big mistake and that “he was no soldier.” During July, Tim started thinking about running away to Canada. He says “Both my conscience and instincts were telling me to make a break for it, just take off and run like hell and never stop. I feared the war, yes, but I also feared exile. I was afraid of walking away from my own life. I feared losing the respect of my parents. I feared the law. I feared ridicule and censure.” Tim O’Brien set out to run to Canada but came back right before crossing the border because …show more content…
When Curt gets a call from the dentist, he goes into the tent and faints before the dentist even touches him. Curt was embarrassed and he thought his friends viewed him as weak so that night he went back to see the dentist. He told him that he had a terrible toothache and forced the dentist to pull on of his teeth out. Curt did this so he would be able to tell the other guys that he had a real reason for fainting. He was trying to prove his ability to be brave in times of