The Things They Carry Literary Analysis

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When we as the reader read stories we wonder what the setting is like in the story. We want to know the location is like and also want to know what type of weather the main character has to deal with throughout the story. Also with the setting comes the time period that the story takes place. We notice in stories that the time period can really mean a lot in stories. This semester we have read a few stories where the setting was a main factor in the story. A story that I read so far where the setting played a key part of the story was “The Things They Carry” by Tim O’Brien. Throughout this essay I will talk about how the story setting has a purpose that helps the reader understand what the character might go through in the story, how the …show more content…
In “The Things They Carry” the story takes place in the early 1970’s during this time period a lot was going on in the world including a war. This is key because this story takes place during the Vietnam war, and our main character happens to be a soldier in this war. As we know from history books, we understand that the area is a jungle. On page 691 the author gives us a great description of what the area was like by stating “Vietnam, the place, the soil-a powdery orange-red dust that covered their boots and fatigues and faces” (O’Brien 691). The description that we get from the author of the setting is how horrible the conditions were for not only the main character but also for soldiers during the war. O’Brien also gives us an image of how hot it was in Vietnam by describing about when it got too hot for the soldiers in the story they would take off some of their clothing during the hottest point during the day. Reading this makes us a reader think about a hot sunny day in the summer when you just want to take off most of your clothing just so that you’ll be

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