In the collection of short stories, "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien, he portrays the not so nice realities of a real war. Throughout the story the author uses characters and symbols to paint the truth of war. There are many symbols seen, both literal and metaphorical. Some of the most prominent symbols and characters were Henry Dobbins and his girlfriends pantyhose, along with Mary Anne and her necklace of tongues. Henry Dobbins was a large and quiet man, but he believed in magic and luck. When in war the soldiers fighting do not have much hope and Dobbins used something so simple to give him that little extra bit he needed. There were even reports of times they had saved his life such as when Henry gets caught in crossfire, "no cover at all, but he just slipped the pantyhose over his nose and breathed deep and let the magic do its work." Henry was never seen without them wrapped around his neck, even after his …show more content…
Mark Fossie was her boyfriend of many years and the reason Mary Anne went to Vietnam. From the moment Mary Anne was brought into the war, her life changed. Mary was at first just a sweet and innocent girl but she had a fierce curiosity about the war and the land. The longer Mary was there, the more dethatched and not herself she became, or maybe she was more herself than ever. Vietnam brought out a dark side in Mary Anne, she began to hang around the Green Berets who were less people and more animal. The land and war seemed to consume her, she went from being sweet and innocent, to ferocious and craving action. She lusted for the thrill of war like a drug addict lusts for their next fix. She could not get enough and each high was not as great as the last. By the end Mary Anne was lost in herself, Fossie and the other boys found her in the Greenies tent, wearing a necklace of tongues. The necklace represents her animalistic craving for war and the consumption of her