Tim O 'Brien's The Things They Carried'

Essay on “The Things They Carried” In the story "The Things They Carried," by Tim O'Brien, discusses a group of American soldiers marching through Vietnam during the war. The narrator is describing the items that each of the soldiers carries with him during the march through Vietnam. The items that the soldiers carried with them are both symbolic and physical items and what these things are depends upon the individual soldier. They carry the basic necessities for survival and the bare minimum to make their life as livable and comfortable as possible. They also carry memories, and fears, and it is these symbolic items like these that are the prime focus of the story. The weight of these items is as real as that of any physical ones, and unlike those physical objects, they do not go away. In the story the narrator switches between narrative passages and describes the items that are carried by the soldiers. This breakdown shows focus to the things the men are carrying, both literal and
The Physical burdens are easier to deal with because they can be thrown away. Emotional burdens, on the other hand, will always stay part of you. Obrien states " The soldiers know there is no easy way to rid themselves of their fears because of their abstract nature, but they dream escapist dreams of flying away in a plane and "falling higher and higher," free of weight. Jimmy Cross tried to get rid of the symbolic burdens by getting rid of the physical items that to him represent symbolic qualities. He started by burning the letter that Martha sent him. He starts to realize by the actions that it will not be that easy to get rid of the memories. He states "He realized it was only a gesture. Stupid, he thought."(Page 106: Para 84) His love that he had for Martha was to strong and the pebble that was there love symbol could be thrown away the burden was still going to be