Essay on OBriens The Things They Carried - 831 Words

OBriens The Things They Carried O’Connor remarks â€Å"The Things They Carried† is a short story that is written â€Å"as an experience not an abstraction† and that â€Å"the meaning has been embodied in it†. These quotations are truly pure in description and interpretation of the short story as the reader, must look beyond the crude physical properties of the objects and actions chronicled and focus more upon their hidden meanings and messages. O’Brien uses the physical characteristics of weight to make an impact upon the reader to relate with the men. In emphasizing the soldier’s everyday burden, the reader can easily relate to the situation in general. As the story progresses, the main attention of the†¦show more content†¦For example, Lt. Jimmy Cross carried letters from Martha that he continually fantasized about. Kiowa carried his grandfather’s old hunting hatchet as a way to hold on to his cultural past. The additional weight depended somewhat upon the soldier’s rank and position. For example, the radiotelephone operator carried a twenty-six pound radio as part of his position. The machine gunner, Henry Dobbs, carried a twenty-three pound M-60 gun as part of his duty. Most of the soldiers were either of the rank Private First Class or Specialist Fourth Class, and therefore were known as â€Å"common grunts†. PFC’s and Spec 4’s were required to carry their rifles and grenade launchers. It is through all of this detailed description of the field equipment (to the pound) that the physical hardships of the men are truly described. The emotional weight that each man endured is also described, but in a more profound amount of mind compelling detail. In the description of what Ted Lavendar was carrying at the time of his death, the author describes the usual flack jacket and helmet, but also his â€Å"unweighed fear†. Truly, this unweighed fear is captured in the quote â€Å"They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried†. The meaning of this is that the men could hide their feelings in their equipment, but were actually atShow MoreRelated The Guilt They Carried in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried1422 Words   |  6 PagesThe Guilt They Carried in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried In the aftermath of a comparatively minor misfortune, all parties concerned seem to be eager to direct the blame to someone or something else. It seems so easy to pin down one specific mistake that caused everything else to go wrong in an everyday situation. However, war is a vastly different story. War is ambiguous, an enormous and intangible event, and it cannot simply be blamed for the resulting deaths for which it is indirectlyRead MoreTim OBriens The Things They Carried: An Analysis1542 Words   |  6 PagesStudent Network Resources Inc.  ©2003-2010 ________________________________________________________________________ Tim OBriens The Things They Carried is a short story told in the form of a catalogue. OBriens title provides both an accurate description of how the story is organized mainly by lists, with the narrative seeming an almost accidental intrusion but also as a sort of recurrent musical refrain in the text itself. The title phrase is repeated at semi-regular intervals in theRead MoreTim OBriens The Things They Carried Essay1348 Words   |  6 PagesTim OBriens The Things They Carried the issue of maturity is an ever occurring theme within the novel that sets out to tackle and open up for discussion of it on a broader level. Specifically within the chapters Friends and Enemies it is clear that both Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen are wedged in a personal psychological war. This issue faces many young adults but is perverted by the war and the tragic loss of innocent life. Many feel that the purpose of OBriens The Things They Carried is toRead MoreEssay on Tim OBriens The Things They Carried1 128 Words   |  5 PagesTim OBriens The Things They Carried   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How does death affect the behavior of people? Although death affects everyones behavior differently, knowledge of ones imminent death is a main force behind behavioral changes. This knowledge causes emotions that motivate people to act in ways that they normally would not. In Tim OBriens The Things They Carried,; the knowledge of death and its closeness causes the men in the story to alter their behavior by changing they way they display powerRead MoreReview: Tim OBriens The Things They Carried1610 Words   |  6 PagesIn Tim OBriens The Things They Carried, the main theme is that the young men of Alpha Company carry many physical and emotional burdens which linger on long after the war. As they walked through the jungles and swamps of South Vietnam, they carried weapons, equipment, personal items, and also carried the dead and wounded off the battlefield as well as the guilt for having survived. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried the responsibility for the men under his command and guilt about the war theyRead More Tim OBriens The Things They Carried Essay735 Words   |  3 PagesTim OBriens The Things They Carried Culture teaches that men must dispense of ridiculous emotions and remain firm, following expected duties. O’Brien develops this theme of the transition from youth to manhood in his short story, â€Å"The Things They Carried.† Through the protagonist Jimmy Cross, metaphors of weight, and futile ideas of freedom, O’Brien reveals how society expects young men in transition to adulthood to let go of impractical idealism and dwell instead on the cruel reality of theRead MoreEssay about Tim OBriens the Things They Carried1558 Words   |  7 PagesTim OBriens The Things They Carried is not a novel about the Vietnam War. It is a story about the soldiers and their experiences and emotions that are brought about from the war. OBrien makes several statements about war through these dynamic characters. He shows the violent nature of soldiers under the pressures of war, he makes an effective antiwar statement, and he comments on the reversal of a social deviation into the norm. By skillfully employing the stylistic technique of specificRead MoreThe Struggle of Weight in Tim OBriens The Things They Carried1315 Words   |  6 PagesThe Struggle of Weight in Tim OBriens The Things They Carried The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines the word weight as a mass or quantity of something taken up and carried, conveyed, or transported. Tim OBriens war story The Things They Carried, published in 1990, explores the theme of weight and its importance to men at war in considerable depth. The opening chapter of this book, which was originally written as a short story, is comprised of a collection of lists. OBrien detailsRead MoreTruth and Fiction in OBriens The Things They Carried1967 Words   |  8 Pages Truth and Fiction in Obriens The Things They Carried The Viet Nam War has been the most reviled conflict in United States history for many reasons, but it has produced some great literature. For some reason the emotion and depredation of war kindle in some people the ability to express themselves in a way that they may not have been able to do otherwise. Movies of the time period are great, but they are not able to elicit, seeing the extremely limited time crunch, the same images and chargeRead MoreStories of the Vietnam War Illustrated in O’Brien’s The Things They Carried834 Words   |  4 PagesTim O’Brien’s book, The Things They Carried, portrays stories of the Vietnam War. Though not one hundred percent accurate, the stories portray important historical events. The Things They Carried recovers Vietnam War history and portrays situations the American soldiers faced. The United States government represents a political power effect during the Vietnam War. The U. S. enters the war to prevent a communis t takeover of South Vietnam. The U.S. government felt if communism spreads to South