Feeling Of Time Revealed In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

Both “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien and “A Small, Good Thing” by Raymond Carver use similar pacing. Pacing can refer to either the amount of time lapsed in text or the amount of time it takes to read each page, and the two stories utilize both definitions. By doing so, the texts invoke tension and feelings of helplessness in the main characters. “The Things They Carried” uses slow pacing to mimic the destitute and prolonged feeling of aimlessly going to war. In this story, the pacing focuses both on creating a sense of monotony through long sentences and detailing the actual passage of time spanning from Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’ deployment up to and just after Lavender’s death. On the other hand, while “A Small, Good Thing” uses a

“The Things They Carried” uses slow pacing in both text and time as a parallel to the state of war and its resulting trauma over an extended period of time. In the wake of Lavender’s death, Lt. Cross mentions “[…] their days would seem longer and their loads heavier” (O’Brien 1003). While the actual traumatic scene of death spans only seconds, the lasting effect continues on over a longer portion of time. Regardless, the soldiers are not allowed the luxury of a reaction to the trauma beyond a brief sadness. On the other hand, “A Small, Good thing” uses slow pacing in text but fast pacing in time to increase tension during time sensitive circumstances. However, the trauma lasts a period of days despite the overall shorter timeframe of the story. In the text, the trauma was not the car accident but rather the time the characters spent hoping for a good prognosis, and thus the parents were “waiting with him until he died” (Carver 225). The text depicts a less violent and spontaneous type of trauma which is a strong contrast to Lavender’s death. Because of this, the parents are allowed to be more expressive of their emotional reactions while they struggle to return to what is normal. In “The Things They Carried”, however, their sense of normal is never established; the war is a constant but not