What makes one story seem similar to another? While some may believe it to be the plot, or character similarities, it actually has more to do with it’s theme. A stories theme is dependent upon many factors such as plot, character portrayal, setting, symbolism, motifs, and tone. The theme dictates the overall moral of a story, and rely upon the reader’s ability to extract information about the characters, action, and setting presented by it’s author.“The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, and “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien are two fitting examples of this. Both of these stories share a similar theme. This theme centers around survival, as well as the suffering caused by both physical and emotional burdens which people carry through
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These struggles are not limited to physical ones, but include emotional burdens as well and greatly help the reader understand and relate to the character 's personality. For example, throughout the story O’Brien tells of the physical items each soldier carries while in the field. While most of these items are necessities of war, such as heavy weaponry and ammunition, others were more personal items. These items include the tranquilizers and marijuana, which Ted Lavender carries, as well as the Bible which Kiowa carries. However, it is Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’s photos of his highschool sweetheart, Martha, which give the reader the most insight into the emotional baggage a character is carrying. Cross’s love and daydreams regarding Martha become so all consuming, it leads to the death of one of Cross’s men, Ted Lavender. The guilt from this incident becomes so strong for Lieutenant Cross, he burns the photos he carried of Martha and swore “Henceforth, when he thought about Martha, it would be only to think that she belonged elsewhere.” (383). Although Cross destroyed the physical items he carried, the emotional baggage still remained as strong as ever. As Cross stated, “He loved her but he hated her.” …show more content…
The main motif in “The Things They Carried” is clearly the weight and significance of the baggage each soldier carries. While this repeated element begins by telling of the physical things the soldiers carry, such as guns, ammunition, and explosives, it gradually begins to transform into a focus on non-physical elements such as fear, love, and guilt. On the other hand, “The Hunger Games” utilizes defiance as a motif. Throughout the story, defiance plays a significant role in tying the story together and there are multiple examples of this. One notable example of this is Katniss’s mourning and respect for the passing of a fellow tribute named Rue. This act of defiance shows that she will not accept the Capital’s rules, and will survive and continue to
These struggles are not limited to physical ones, but include emotional burdens as well and greatly help the reader understand and relate to the character 's personality. For example, throughout the story O’Brien tells of the physical items each soldier carries while in the field. While most of these items are necessities of war, such as heavy weaponry and ammunition, others were more personal items. These items include the tranquilizers and marijuana, which Ted Lavender carries, as well as the Bible which Kiowa carries. However, it is Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’s photos of his highschool sweetheart, Martha, which give the reader the most insight into the emotional baggage a character is carrying. Cross’s love and daydreams regarding Martha become so all consuming, it leads to the death of one of Cross’s men, Ted Lavender. The guilt from this incident becomes so strong for Lieutenant Cross, he burns the photos he carried of Martha and swore “Henceforth, when he thought about Martha, it would be only to think that she belonged elsewhere.” (383). Although Cross destroyed the physical items he carried, the emotional baggage still remained as strong as ever. As Cross stated, “He loved her but he hated her.” …show more content…
The main motif in “The Things They Carried” is clearly the weight and significance of the baggage each soldier carries. While this repeated element begins by telling of the physical things the soldiers carry, such as guns, ammunition, and explosives, it gradually begins to transform into a focus on non-physical elements such as fear, love, and guilt. On the other hand, “The Hunger Games” utilizes defiance as a motif. Throughout the story, defiance plays a significant role in tying the story together and there are multiple examples of this. One notable example of this is Katniss’s mourning and respect for the passing of a fellow tribute named Rue. This act of defiance shows that she will not accept the Capital’s rules, and will survive and continue to