The things they carried

             The Things They Carried is a piece of fictional literature comprised of many Vietnam War-related short stories to create an intricate personification of the narrator and his experiences there. Rather than on the actual war itself, O'Brien focuses on the inevitable effects of war occurrences on the human mind – how morals are compromised, innocence is lost, and how the weight of memory and the gravity of guilt are incessantly sustained. While the soldiers undoubtedly have to carry the basic necessities for survival, they also have to carry burdens like responsibility and fear, and it is the intangible items like these that are the prime focus of the book. Although the stories are not presented in the traditional, chronological manner, they relate to and revolve around instances the narrator found especially painful.
             O'Brien and his fellow soldiers, Mitchell Sanders, Kiowa, Norman Bowker, Henry Dobbins, "Rat" Kiley, Curt Lemon, Lee Strunk, Azar, and Dave Jensen belong to the "Alpha Company," commanded by Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, who is obsessed with a girl back home who does now love him in return. He is often distracted by the mere thought of her letters and picture as the burden of unrequited love lies heavily in his already cluttered heart. One day, when the unit is examining tunnels in the village of Than Khe, the Lieutenant gets so sidetracked, that he forgets to properly guard the vicinity. As a result, Private Ted Lavender gets shot in the head. Cross, disgusted at his own carelessness, comes sharply back to reality, burns the letters and picture, and adamantly sets forth to be less emotional and to be stricter in disciplining the soldiers. The unrequited love plus now the guilt and weight of responsibility are just three examples of "the things they carried." Beside the memories, emotions, and diseases, are listed the more tangible items the soldiers had to carry, such as w...

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The things they carried. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 17:36, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/25558.html