Summary Of Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

In the short story, The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, it introduces the theme of weight that the soldiers must carry during the Vietnam War. The soldiers carried things that were either of physical weight (tangible) or emotional weight (intangible). The tangible weight included photos, comics, condoms, etc, but each tangible gives the readers an insight on the internal conflicts that weigh them down. Also, the intangibles discussed, show even more of the burdens they must carry. This being said the intangibles are shown to be the real weight that must be carried by each of the soldiers. During the Vietnam War, the soldiers carry a certain fear, and that is the fear of blushing. The narrator supports this by saying, “They carried the

Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’s love for Martha is his way to get through the terrors of war, but his love for Martha is also a distraction from the war and from leading his men. Jimmy Cross not only carries the responsibility of upholding the mission, but he also carries the responsibility of his men’s lives. Jimmy Cross was obsessed with Martha, and that obsession, blinded him from the dangers of the war. For example, Ted Lavender was shot down while Cross was daydreaming of being together with Martha. For Jimmy Cross, his love for Martha is the most precious thing he carried. He is blinded by his love for Martha and because of this one of his comrades was shot down. The readers can infer that Jimmy is distracted in the first story on page 9 from the quote, “On occasion he would yell at his men to spread out the column, to keep their eyes open, but then he would slip away into daydreams, just pretending, walking barefoot along the Jersey shore, with Martha.” Jimmy’s responsibility was to uphold the mission and protect his men, he however failed to do so, and now he will always blame himself for the death of Ted Lavender. From Cross’s perspective, the mood shifts from an obsessive love to the tragic death of a fellow colleague. The resolution of the story ends with Jimmy Cross making the decision of forgetting about Martha by burning every item he posses that is

To begin with, the significance of the diction “emotional baggage”, which is both intangible and tangible, implies that the men were carrying many emotions during the war. The readers can infer through the things they carry the internal conflict within each character. For instance, the soldier Rat Kiley carries comic books, which demonstrates that he uses them as a distraction from the ongoing war, and still clings on to his childhood in the middle of a war. This is important because it highlights how most of the soldiers here are still in middle of reaching adulthood and are thrust into a war the adults should be fighting not the children. Another example would be Ted Lavender, who carries tranquilizers. The tranquilizers are established as a coping mechanism that comfort him throughout the war, such as allowing him to get through the war without losing his mind. These are used to relieve the anxiety and tension he is carrying and thus does not want to come to the realization that he is in the war. The tranquilizers also show that Ted Lavender carried fear within him, which is why he uses the tranquilizers in order to calm himself down for battle. The men obtain these certain items to help them carry on through the harsh setting of