Sometimes, people carry things. Things that mean a lot to a certain person, and can symbolize something important. These things can mean a lot to these people, and one can tell a lot about certain people by the things they carried. An example of this could be something simple like saying that someone carrying a textbook could show that the person is a student, or maybe someone carrying a fishing rod could show that the person goes fishing. While it is not always true that things people carry mean the same thing to everyone, it is safe to assume that they usually do. In Tom O 'Brien 's short story, The Things they Carried, you can see a lot of symbolism in the short story. According to Literary Devices, “Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify
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He carries his girlfriend’s pantyhose. This pantyhose is supposedly a good-luck charm, and wrapped the pantyhose around his neck as a lucky charm. Oddly enough, he likes to breath in his girlfriend’s scent by putting his nose against the nylon. In the story, it states that “Henry Dobbins carried his girlfriend’s pantyhose wrapped around his neck as a comforter” (par. 14). He wore around his neck, as it comforted him during a difficult time of war. The pantyhose might have given Henry a type of connection to his girlfriend. The pantyhose is significant because it’s his girlfriend’s, and it is also a good luck charm. Eventually, his girlfriend dumps him, but he still decides to carry it, as he still considered it a good-luck charm, and believed that it kept him safe in the middle of an open field. He believes that the magic did not go away. The power of the panthose does not come from the love Henry had for his girlfriend, but from himself, and will continue as long as he believes in them. He also carries extra rations during the war. He is a big character, which could explain why he has extra rations with him, but there is a little more to it than just that. According to the story, “He was especially fond of canned peaches in heavy syrup over pound cake” (par. 2). This shows an example of the type of food that he eats during the war: sweets. The sweets are his way of getting him through the war. Henry Dobbins perfectly symbolizes discrepancies in Vietnam, due to his thoughtful, respectable
He carries his girlfriend’s pantyhose. This pantyhose is supposedly a good-luck charm, and wrapped the pantyhose around his neck as a lucky charm. Oddly enough, he likes to breath in his girlfriend’s scent by putting his nose against the nylon. In the story, it states that “Henry Dobbins carried his girlfriend’s pantyhose wrapped around his neck as a comforter” (par. 14). He wore around his neck, as it comforted him during a difficult time of war. The pantyhose might have given Henry a type of connection to his girlfriend. The pantyhose is significant because it’s his girlfriend’s, and it is also a good luck charm. Eventually, his girlfriend dumps him, but he still decides to carry it, as he still considered it a good-luck charm, and believed that it kept him safe in the middle of an open field. He believes that the magic did not go away. The power of the panthose does not come from the love Henry had for his girlfriend, but from himself, and will continue as long as he believes in them. He also carries extra rations during the war. He is a big character, which could explain why he has extra rations with him, but there is a little more to it than just that. According to the story, “He was especially fond of canned peaches in heavy syrup over pound cake” (par. 2). This shows an example of the type of food that he eats during the war: sweets. The sweets are his way of getting him through the war. Henry Dobbins perfectly symbolizes discrepancies in Vietnam, due to his thoughtful, respectable