The Things They Carried Essay
In the book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, the soldiers carried many things during the war that were linked to the person they were. The story takes place in 1960’s during the Vietnam war, and is a collection of short stories by Tim O’Brien who was drafted into the war in his early twenties. The book is based on events and emotions that affected him during the war, and in the first chapter he writes about all of the things that the men carried in Vietnam. Many of these things were tangible objects that represent them and their lives during war, but more so was the intangible things that defined them in this story.
The soldier carried many tangible objects throughout the story, from M&M and ponchos to …show more content…
All of these intangible things gave an outlook into the men's lives and their internal struggles. Many of these things had great effects on them during the war, “Grief, terror, love, longing--these were intangibles that had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight”(20). O’Brien uses this to show how even though intangibles had no physical toll on the men, it had great mental effects. Many of the men carried fear throughout their journey in Vietnam. “They carried their own lives. The pressures were enormous”(15), what Tim is telling us is that the constant threat of death weighed heavily on the men’s shoulders, as they try to survive during the war. All these men carried emotions, from love to longing, to grief and fear that had great effects on their in war.
In the end the soldiers at war carried many things either tangible or intangible that represent them and their struggles in Vietnam. The tangible things being the heavy weapons they carried showed how dangerous their everyday lives were at war. The intangible things they carried were grief, love, longing, and fear and many more. All of these things had physical and internal effects on the men at war that helped the reader to have a sense of what everyday life was for the soldiers who took part in the Vietnam
In the book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, the soldiers carried many things during the war that were linked to the person they were. The story takes place in 1960’s during the Vietnam war, and is a collection of short stories by Tim O’Brien who was drafted into the war in his early twenties. The book is based on events and emotions that affected him during the war, and in the first chapter he writes about all of the things that the men carried in Vietnam. Many of these things were tangible objects that represent them and their lives during war, but more so was the intangible things that defined them in this story.
The soldier carried many tangible objects throughout the story, from M&M and ponchos to …show more content…
All of these intangible things gave an outlook into the men's lives and their internal struggles. Many of these things had great effects on them during the war, “Grief, terror, love, longing--these were intangibles that had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight”(20). O’Brien uses this to show how even though intangibles had no physical toll on the men, it had great mental effects. Many of the men carried fear throughout their journey in Vietnam. “They carried their own lives. The pressures were enormous”(15), what Tim is telling us is that the constant threat of death weighed heavily on the men’s shoulders, as they try to survive during the war. All these men carried emotions, from love to longing, to grief and fear that had great effects on their in war.
In the end the soldiers at war carried many things either tangible or intangible that represent them and their struggles in Vietnam. The tangible things being the heavy weapons they carried showed how dangerous their everyday lives were at war. The intangible things they carried were grief, love, longing, and fear and many more. All of these things had physical and internal effects on the men at war that helped the reader to have a sense of what everyday life was for the soldiers who took part in the Vietnam