Summary Of The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

“It was very sad, he thought. The things men carried inside. The things men did or felt they had to do.” In the short story, the author, O’Brien illustrates and depicts the physical landscapes of Vietnam as a hellscape. There’s nothing but terror, death, fear, and the emotional traumas that the men in the war carry alongside them. He does a fascinating job at showcasing the most internal confines of the psyches of those who fought, which leads into my analysis of this short story. During the Vietnam war, everything in the physical environment was a threat but even the psychological landscape of those in it were fighting wars on two separate fronts, physically and mentally, it took a harsh toll on them and in turn, the writing of those experiences

Their valor was selfless. B Members of an SOG reconnaissance team from Command and Control Central (CCC) based in Kontum, South Vietnam, scale retractable ladders in midair during an emergency extraction from Laos.” (Fletcher). This quote demonstrates the significance and severity of tactical operations in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. This further allows me to build upon the fact that O’Brien accurately depicts the environment of Vietnam in a realistic way with comparison to F. On top of this depiction of Vietnam, operations that were hidden from the public seem to expose more of the dangers of the war itself, which allows us to develop an even broader image of the events that occurred. You can compare these operations to the ones that Lt. Jimmy Cross orchestrated throughout the short story. O’Brien emphasizes how the emotional burdens, past and present, are as tangible and heavy as the physical burdens that the soldiers carry. This highlights the interconnection of the physical and psychological terrains. They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might

Operation Starlite served its purpose like the assignment of the characters within “The Things They Carried”. Many operations happened during the Vietnam War that had similar experiences of those in Jimmy Cross’s platoon, a lot of their tactical missions resulted in gaining advantages although, at the same time, they lost some of their own too. (O’Brien) O'Brien emphasizes the burden of memories and emotions carried by the soldiers alongside their physical gear, highlighting how the weight of their past experiences shapes their perceptions and reactions to the unforgiving physical terrain of Vietnam. “They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried" (O’Brien). This quote goes on to show that not even the soldiers could fully understand what items they had and the power they possessed. O’Brien effectively encapsulates the pure trauma that soldiers feel for actively partaking in the war, but they have no choice but to continue. "The jungle was hot and wet and the foliage seemed to slither" (O’Brien). The oppressive physical environment of the jungle, described as "hot and wet" with foliage that "seemed to slither," contrasts with the soldiers' psychological discomfort and fear, emphasizing the eerie and unsettling atmosphere of the war zone. O’Brien can