Does war have a negative impact on a person's mental health? War is always brutal. One of the major themes in the novel "The Things They Carried" is the trauma of war. Soldiers endure the tragic life and death experience of fighting in Vietnam. People died suddenly, randomly and horrifically, whether from snipers, stepping on mines, or even drowning in sewage fields. But one's sanity and basic humanity were also threatened psychologically as soldiers succumbed to the emotional trauma caused by fear, guilt and grief.
I think the first change of heart was Jimmy, whose obsession with Martha led him to neglect his soldiers and resulted in Ted Lavender being shot on the spot on the way back to camp. He feels personally responsible for his death and is therefore "determined not to neglect his duties" (O'Brien). Furthermore, "from now on he would dress himself up as an officer. He will throw away his lucky stone ...... strict
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When faced with a choice between his own life and Kiowa's, he chose to save himself. It is his lack of courage that leads to Kiowa's death; yet, even though he watches his friend sink into the "cesspool," he tries to save him - but the end is inevitable. War seems to force responsibility and guilt for the deaths of friends and enemies alike. Soldiers returning home from the war carry this guilt with them, making them feel like outsiders in their past lives. After being cut off from the outside world, Bowker "drove along a seven-mile stretch of tarmac around the lake, and then he started over, driving slowly" (O'Brien). This driveway is like his life now; memories of the war repeat themselves over and over in his head. How Bowker wishes to go back in time to save him. He is confused by the life he was once actively involved in but has become a bystander. Once again, it comes down to the war and the characters' inability to escape the effects of the Vietnam