The Things They Carried Symbolism Essay

We see the first chapter of The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien to be the foundation for the rest of the novel, with exquisite descriptions of everyone and everything, to the foreshadowing and symbolism that embodies each character and “what they carry”. O’Brien offers us basic descriptions of what each member of Alpha Company carries that is described as “largely determined by necessity” (2). Some would carry knives, extra rations and what seemed like an overkill of supplies, while others would only carry what was absolutely vital. There is one character that we learn little about in the begging chapter, Norman Bowker. He is only talked about a few times in the chapter and only carries two things, a diary and the thumb of a small, defenseless, …show more content…
This lake is the life of the town and is very symbolic in itself. On one side of the lake the houses are "modern, with big porches and picture windows facing the water" on the opposite side the houses were described as "handsome, though less expensive and on a smaller scale" (131-132). The division in this town is similar to the division that is caused politically in America over the Vietnam War. America was on the expensive side of the lake where they knew what was going on with the other side, but they didn 't have to face the reality because it was different and far away. They didn 't have the reality check that the soldiers did when their eyes were opened to a new world of destruction that was for some effort they knew little about. They didn 't know why they were fighting. America was even divided so much on the topic of the war that our soldiers were not given the proper gratitude for their services. It was a war that we are still trying to forget. The men and women who were there will never have that …show more content…
He tells of the nights that his infantry was camped along the Song Tra Bong and the warning they received from a dozen mama-sans. They ignored the warning not understanding the importance. This is some ways parallel the entire war. The mama-sans were trying to tell the soldiers that the place they were setting their perimeters was “a goddamn shit field” (139). Villagers for centuries have had no indoor plumbing. Have used this field as a huge toilet. This is symbolic of how the soldiers felt. They felt that the American government was sending them into a giant shit field. Bowker talked about how, “because of rain, they sank into the earth as though on quicksand” (142). Not only did his physical body sink, but he also lost some of his soul in that shit field watching a Kiowa lose his life. His mouth and ears were filled with the stench of the war. It had captured all of him and he could never escape