Long-Term Consequences Of War In 'The Things They Carried'

IB Literature and Language Higher Level Essay

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LOI: How does Tim O’Brien’s novel The Things They Carried illustrate the long-term consequences of war on veterans?

Memories of war continue to have a lasting impact on soldiers. In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien explores the emotional state of soldiers during war, and postwar. Many of the people who die in war have a family that is heartbroken over the death of a loved one. Along with family members being heartbroken, other soldiers are too as they may have lost their bestfriend. The non-chronicle order of the story highlights the soldiers' lives after war, as they struggle to put together their past experiences. Throughout the story, many of the characters die, resulting

The author creates a sense of sadness and pity throughout the novel, causing the reader to sympathize with the characters. The emotional language used throughout the book heightens the experiences and war memories of the soldiers, causing the reader to feel the same terror. An example of this terror is in the chapter On the Rainy River when the narrator writes, “I did not want to die”(36). The narrator explained before that the draft did not let you choose your war, meaning if a soldier did not want to fight he doesn’t have that option. The draft does not give an option for not joining the war, and this makes the reader sympathize for the characters because it makes them put themselves in the characters shoes. Not having the choice on whether or not to join a war you don’t want to be a part of, let alone not knowing if you are going to die or not would be terrifying. O’Brien uses pathos again in the chapter How to Tell a True War Story when Rat Kiley is killing a baby buffalo. Kiley is dealing with his anger and sadness through the line, “It wasn't to kill; it was to hurt”(58). Kiley’s best friend Curt Lemon had just died, and Kiley unleashed his emotions on a buffalo. The death of his friend hurt so bad he took his emotions out on an innocent animal. The haunting imagery of this scene in the novel portrays the emotional impact this death had on Kiley. The author makes the reader feel pity for

The title of the book The Things they Carried can be seen as a symbol which represents the physical and emotional weight the soldiers carry with them in the war. This weight represents the constant reminder of the danger they could face, and not knowing what is going to happen next. Whatever “weight” is on their soldiers during the war, they remember forever, like watching their best friend die. Many of the soldiers feel a sense of guilt or blame for the deaths of their friends, and they hold onto this until they can come to senses with their experiences. Another symbol O’Brien uses in the novel is letters and photographs which the soldiers carry with them. These pocketed items are symbols of their old life outside of war and connection to their home. The items are reminders of their humanity, and are a sense of realness, and safety, throughout the war. In the chapter Field Trip O’Brien takes his daughter back to visit Vietnam. He takes pictures and remembers old spots that looked much different than he once knew. O’Brien had held onto Kiowa’s moccasins since the day he died, “She watched me unwrap the cloth bundle. Inside were Kiowa's old moccasins”(124). O’Brien then takes the moccasins and buries them underneath the water, and comes to peace with Kiowa’s death. These moccasins were a symbol and remembrance of Kiowa’s life. He had been holding onto this memory and suffering with the