Stereotypes In The Things They Carried

Throughout The Things They Carried, O’Brien touches on the concept of complexity of war by his description of war and the soldiers along with it. By going against stereotypes and the generalization of war in a whole, O’Brien is able to convey a truthful and realistic depiction of war, often portrayed incorrectly in media. He yearns to keep the story of the soldiers in Vietnam alive by telling stories about the complexity of their experience. Often in media and entertainment, war is either portrayed as a hellish experience or a lively and adrenaline filled endeavor. Both depictions aren’t necessarily incorrect however they are far from the truth. O’Brien combines both aspects of war to create a truthful telling of the stories in Vietnam. Through this excerpt from The Things They Carried, O’Brien is able to demonstrate all …show more content…
In media, the battlefield is typically seen as a place for men, not women. Women were portrayed as being disgusted with the uncouth nature of war with the bloodshed and gravel all around. O’Brien decided to go against the stereotype by creating Mary Anne, the polar opposite of a typical woman during the 60’s. Mary Anne was extremely fascinated with the war, up to the point of actually going to Vietnam herself. “A good sharp mind, Rat said. True, she could be silly sometimes but she picked up on things fast. At the end of the second week, when four casualties came in, Mary Anne wasn’t afraid to get her hands bloody. At times in fact, she seemed fascinated by it. Contrary to the common depiction of women and men the roles were reversed with the women being amazed by the war and the men being cowardly. O’Brien describes both himself and the Vietnamese soldier he killed as opposed to war, against the entire grotesque nature of it war. Both of the soldiers were described as dainty and skinny which are common diction used to describe woman not