A Love Story In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carrie

“It wasn’t a war story. It was a love story.” (81) Tim O’Brien may have only used this line to refer to his untrue story about Curt Lemon’s death, but in reality, these two simple sentences can be applied to his entire novel, The Things They Carried. The novel showcases many of the essential character components of that of a typical “love story”, making the novel a perfect example of a love story. Linda acts as the love interest who will never be with the hero because of a difficult circumstance, or in this case, her brain tumor that ultimately brings about her untimely death. Elroy portrays the person that manages to get the hero back on his feet after a tragic occurrence takes something that he loves. Finally, Lieutenant Cross is the hero’s friend who can sympathize with the hero (in this case, Cross understands what not being with one’s love is like). In fact, it is crucial that the novel be interpreted as a love story rather than a love story. War stories give the reader a reading experience centered on the brutality and effects of the war on its soldiers, while love stories focus more on the interesting and unique relationships between a protagonist and somebody …show more content…
Linda symbolizes the first love of the protagonist that had a lovely relationship with him until everything fell apart because of an unfortunate episode. Elroy symbolizes the hero’s savior, without whom the hero would’ve completely lost his way. Finally, Lieutenant Cross symbolizes our protagonist’s friend who shares a special bond of sympathy with the hero. The Things They Carried was never meant to be considered a war story, despite the fact that the book is labeled as a “Vietnam War Story”. Without realizing that the novel is in reality a love story that just simply has the underlying seriousness of a typical love story, this brilliantly-written piece of literature cannot be correctly