The things they carried
The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, is a generalization of his own experiences in Vietnam although the story itself is a work of fiction there is still much to be learned from it. Through the actions of soldiers in The Things They Carried we can begin to explore the effect war has on the human condition and the toll it plays on their minds. Some of the themes in the book, The Things They Carried, are bravery and what true bravery is, truth and how the manipulation of truth is sometimes necessary and how truth can be molded or distorted through memory, and lastly, the demoralizing effects of war on the human condition. These themes are all played out through the actions of the main character, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. Half the story takes place in Vietnam and the other half inside the mind of the narrator. Through the narrator, we see that the men all struggle with bravery and often pretend they don't feel as much as they do to avoid looking silly in front of the other men. Jimmy carried a pebble and letters from Martha to help comfort him. Other men carried pictures, or rabbits feet, some ta
Often when coming close to death the men defuse the tension by joking, saying things like "that's sure as hell was close" or "I almost shit my paints"(O'Brien 860) and pretend like the war doesn't bother them. And if you are totally unable to remember an event then it's like that event never happened, in this way the mind can triumph over matter. Jim is lucky that he wasn't driven totally insane by the war, but he will be plagued by the things he saw and did in Vietnam for the rest of his life. Many of his fellow soldiers are unable to adjust to civilian life after the war. Lastly we see the effects of the war on Jim. From this passage we see how the men hid their feelings from each other. light cigarettes, try to smile, clear their throats and spit and begin cleaning their weapons. ke tranquilizers, some smoke pot, but all to help comfort them. A coward hides his emotions because he's afraid of what others might think. And in the process of telling the story all the men can come to an agreement of what happened and add to it. This is the price we pay for war; this is the price they paid for us.
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Acceptance Essays
