The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien: An Analysis

The Vietnam War was a violent and brutal conflict that got the lives of thousands of Americans and sent thousands home either wounded physically or wounded emotionally by the cruelty they had to witness. No amount of training could prepare these soldiers for what they had to experience. Published in 1990 by Tim O’Brien The Things They Carried is regarded as a fictional work based on the personal experiences of American soldiers who encounter the horrific trauma both emotionally and psychologically of combat during the Vietnam War. The burdens the men carry with them throughout the 30-year war were unbearable and those who were lucky enough to survive the guilt and grief would stay within them forever.
Tim O’Brien goes into great detail about the weight of the specific military items that the soldiers carry from place to place, but the weight of these items does not even come close to the weight of the emotional baggage that lies deeper in their hearts. O’Brien describes just how much weight these men are willing to tolerate on their backs emphasizing how unbearable their situation truly was. O’Brien …show more content…
They all were terrified of death and were even more terrified to show their fears. The Vietnam War did this to them, they would turn into young men just to have to leave and never look back at their old lives. They prayed to God begging him to end this horrific chapter of their lives. They carried much more than just materialist things on their back they carried the emotional baggage of death everywhere they went along with thought of grief, guilt, terror, love, and longing. They carried shameful memories, most of which left them with psychological pain such as post traumatic stress disorder. The Vietnam War ended in 1975 however, the emotional and psychological fear did not. That would remain with them