Conflict In The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

“The Things They Carried”

The narrative “The Things They Carried” by Tim O'Brien shows the man versus self conflict of the inexperienced Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his troop in the Vietnam war. O’Brien tells the story of the lieutenant’s struggles, sacrifices and transformation that the war inflicted on him.

Struggle was no stranger to Lieutenant Jimmy Cross or his grunts deep in the swamps of Vietnam. They struggled across the lush jungle with the physical burden of carrying all the possessions they would need to eat, sleep, and live in the foreign mud, or at least everything the US Army found fit to issue them for such a task. In addition to the personal goods, they trudged the heavy arms and ammo they needed to persevere in this bloodbath

The heaviest of the weightless load was fears that they would not speak of, or perhaps could not speak of, lest it come alive and eat up their sanity. Instead, they shallowly laughed off the threat of death in this war, all the while alienating each other, thinking that this isolation wouldn’t allow their fellow soldiers to see how afraid they were of the dark shadow of death. It’s easy to feel the weight bearing down on the soldiers shoulder’s as O’Brien goes over the detailed list of items strapped to these men’s backs. Perhaps the most haunting of his words being “They all carry the emotional baggage of men who might die.” Nonetheless, they marched on. Then there was the things they carried for their own soundness of mind a few personal effects for comfort, for some it was a simple vice, like a toke, smoke or whiskey, while the more square men found peacefulness in religious paraphernalia, but for Jimmy it was 10 ounces of letters, two photos, and a smooth, Jersey beach stone that helped him forget the reality of where his boots stood. Small gifts from Martha, a

How could there be unity in a troop whose leader’s head was sucked away to a fantasy land with Martha every time a stressful and intense situation arose? The story gives many examples of this internal conflict, one being “Lt. Jimmy Cross moved to the tunnel, leaned down, and examined the darkness. Trouble, he thought—a cave-in maybe. And then suddenly, without willing it, he was thinking of Martha… he tried to concentrate on the war, all the dangers, but his love was too much for him…” In short, he was not battle ready and finally an agent of change caused his transformation. Costing him the life of his friend and brother in combat, Ted Lavender. He never would forgive himself for Lavender’s death, how could he? These men were his responsibility and he was more focused on a girl on the other side of the earth. He felt the weight of guilt crawl slowly up his back and make it’s home deep in his rucksack, never to be relieved. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross wanted to find a way to ease his grieving heart. So he gathered the letters and the photos from Martha and lit them on fire, in hopes that he wouldn’t have the distraction of her beauty or the longing for her love anymore. He had come to terms with the fact that she had never truly loved him anyways, making the parting even more painful. It may have been only 10 ounces physically, but it felt like he had lightened his soul a brick load. It