The Things They Carried Literary Analysis

The Things They Carried written by Tim O’Brien is a collection of made up memories featuring stories from soldiers before, during, and after the Vietnam War. O’Brien compiled the stories together in order to bring a larger audience to the Vietnam War and although readers of the story will never be able to relate to the rates of the war, it will allow readers to understand how soldiers felt upon returning from the war. Interestingly, O’Brien presents the book as a “work of fiction” because through his writing he has a way of distinguishing the surreal aspects of the war through fiction and nonfiction. The stories of Ted Lavender, Curt Lemon, and Norman Balker are examples of soldiers reacting to the unsettling circumstances during the war and the effects of the war on them. Ted Lavender, the first to die in the Alpha Company, dealt with ironic circumstances as he was the most scared member to face death but became the first to fall into death’s hands. In order to cope with his fear of death, Lavender heavily relied on his tranquilizers because taking them would calm

He enters the war believing that what mark men as courageous are the medals and services awarded to them. Ultimately, Bowker is unable to leave the war behind and upon returning back he believes that “the town could not talk, and would not listen” meaning no one would truly be able to understand him (137). Bowker has no one to turn to and this leaves him with the only option he believes is the answer, and so he commits suicide. During the war, Bowker was a gentle character who carried the thumb of a Vietnamese corpse “that had been presented to him as a gift by Mitchell Sanders” and a personal diary. Like Lavender and Cross, Bowker’s escape from the war was his personal diary. By having his diary, he was able to write any of his lingering thoughts down, helping him ease his