The Things They Carried Summary

The Horror of Endless War The story “The things they carried,” written by Tim O’Brien portrays the glory and horrors of war from the perspective of a traveling platoon. The author tells of experiences both mental and physical that occur between six “grunts” as they continue on in the war campaign (335). The emotional connection of this story is revealed by everything that they “humped” day in and day out through the Vietnamese jungle, not only their backs but in their minds as well(335). The overwhelming emotional fright of embarking on a mission into unascertained lands is arguably the most symbolic aspect of the story. Tim O’Brien relates his personal experiences as a soldier in the 23rd Infantry Division, 3rd Platoon, making his account all the more personal. This paper …show more content…
In war, one experiences the senses in ways that make them indifferent to the world around them; the stench of death, the horrendous sights of war related violence, and the sounds of those crying out in pain. After being bombarded with these unthinkable moments, in time, a soldier can develop a sense of numbness to death within their platoon, the sound of tortured prisoners, as well as graphic mutilation. O’Brien shines light on a quiet moment where Kiowa tried to come to terms with the death of Ted Lavender. He expresses the soldiers feelings with “he wished he could find some great sadness, or even anger, but the emotion wasn’t there and he couldn’t make it happen”(346). Nevertheless, he still shared that bond with his fellow soldiers and desired to experience the pain of losing a brother in arms. The author points out that he “wanted to share the man’s pain, he wanted to care as Jimmy Cross cared” (346). This state of mind is what makes going home so difficult for many veterans, because they find it hard to go back to a normal life after experiencing the horrors of