Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried Essay

Soldiers in war often feel hopeless, and yet, many somehow find it in themselves to push onwards. This motivation of a soldier’s mindset is key to survival, and many store this instinctive effort to persevere in the items that they carry. Tim O’Brien, the author of the story “The Things They Carried,” recounts his experiences while touring Vietnam from 1968 to 1970 in the 46th Infantry Regiment. During the Vietnam War, O’Brien witnessed scores of American soldiers wounded or killed, along with others who had gone missing in combat, while fighting against the Viet Cong. This ongoing presence of horror greatly affected surviving soldiers, who felt depressed and unworthy of life after witnessing their friends perish. In “The Things They Carried,” the author Tim O’Brien utilizes imagery, symbolism, and diction to prove that the items the soldiers carry give them the hope they need in order to block out the brutalities of
This aspect of the story shows an extension of the soldiers’ characters, and how they can change drastically when in an ongoing conflict. This is because you never truly know someone until you see them act under pressure, and within the brutal and horrifying events of Vietnam, the things the soldiers carry show each soldier’s purest values to their utmost extent. The hope stored within the items carried by the soldiers can make a difference in combat, especially when death is present at all times. As these possessions can help to block out and essentially alleviate the horrors of war, they are very crucial to the soldiers in the sense that they allow them to maintain their sense of mental willpower and hope. In war, anything you carry can represent a final effort to push onwards, and in many situations, that final push can be the deciding factor between life and