The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien: Chapter Analysis
Writing Prompt 1
The book The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien contains various literal and figurative
meanings to the term carry. O'Brien includes different form implied to the word carry. In the beginning
of the chapter he begins to list what each soldier carried with him literally. O'Brien also includes what
each soldier carries with him figuratively, what weighs them down. Each item that they carry gives the
reader insight of their personality and emotions. The chapter The Things they carried gave the reader a
view of what was to come next, how the characters story was going to be introduced and expanded.
Further on in the book, the characters personality begins to unravel and O'Brien depicts them in a way
that ties …show more content…
They all carry memories, guilt, shame and fear. Fear of
what's to come. Shame of why they are at the war. Others carry guilt for allowing the death of a fellow
soldier to occur even though they could not prevent it from occurring.
By using the term carry O'Brien not only refers to what each soldier carried literally but
emotionally. All veterans carry emotional turmoil with them. They carried diseases and lice (pg 14).The
troop carried their experience in Vietnam, the land and the pain they had to endure. The soldiers carried
the memory of their friends who were killed at war. O'Brien carried Kiowa as well as the other soldiers
who passed away. They carried their pride as well. None of the soldiers went to fight in the war for
glory and appraisal of others, they went because if they refused to go they would bring shame to their
families. Each item was a symbol of their past what they were like before the war. Their innocence and
hope was what they carried, the men had to leave that behind as the war progressed and carry their
memories and traumas.
The narrator in this chapter tries to convey the theme of guilt, shame and fear. The theme
The book The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien contains various literal and figurative
meanings to the term carry. O'Brien includes different form implied to the word carry. In the beginning
of the chapter he begins to list what each soldier carried with him literally. O'Brien also includes what
each soldier carries with him figuratively, what weighs them down. Each item that they carry gives the
reader insight of their personality and emotions. The chapter The Things they carried gave the reader a
view of what was to come next, how the characters story was going to be introduced and expanded.
Further on in the book, the characters personality begins to unravel and O'Brien depicts them in a way
that ties …show more content…
They all carry memories, guilt, shame and fear. Fear of
what's to come. Shame of why they are at the war. Others carry guilt for allowing the death of a fellow
soldier to occur even though they could not prevent it from occurring.
By using the term carry O'Brien not only refers to what each soldier carried literally but
emotionally. All veterans carry emotional turmoil with them. They carried diseases and lice (pg 14).The
troop carried their experience in Vietnam, the land and the pain they had to endure. The soldiers carried
the memory of their friends who were killed at war. O'Brien carried Kiowa as well as the other soldiers
who passed away. They carried their pride as well. None of the soldiers went to fight in the war for
glory and appraisal of others, they went because if they refused to go they would bring shame to their
families. Each item was a symbol of their past what they were like before the war. Their innocence and
hope was what they carried, the men had to leave that behind as the war progressed and carry their
memories and traumas.
The narrator in this chapter tries to convey the theme of guilt, shame and fear. The theme