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 take tranquilizers, some smoke pot, but all to help comfort them.
             "Awkwardly, the men would reassemble themselves, first in private, then in groups, becoming soldiers again. They would repair the leaks in their eyes... light cigarettes, try to smile, clear their throats and spit and begin cleaning their weapons."(O'Brien 860). From this passage we see how the men hid their feelings from each other. 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. All the solders are trying to portray a stereotypical image of a "tough guy" because that's what they have been culturally conditioned to t
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