Things They Carried Metaphor Analysis

Throughout The Things They Carried, there are many different symbols and metaphors. These metaphors are all very powerful and add a certain depth to each short story in the book. Out of all the stories, perhaps the one with the most compelling symbolism is “Speaking of Courage.” For instance, the protagonist (and antagonist), Norman Bowker, drove his car around a lake for most of the story, thinking. He drove around the lake 12 times total, the lake is 7 miles long, and it took 25 minutes to go completely around the lake. These numbers are symbols for 12 months, 7 days a week, and 25 hours a day, indicating that Norman could not stop thinking about his experience in the Vietnam war. This is just one of the many hidden metaphors in this short