Sometimes a mask is easier to put on when the alternative is to be a coward. Tim O'Brien, in his short story "The Things They Carried," pieces together what several soldiers experienced during the Vietnam war. Through the narrator, Tim O'Brien, the reader encounters his hatred of the war. In a passage within "The Things They Carried," O'Brien pursues the theme of masculinity by using simile, anaphora, and personification as figurative language, religious and moral symbolism, colloquial diction, and fluid, sometimes choppy syntax. He sets a distinct tone of suffering that is shown through the soldier's needs to be masculine although they are merely boys. There are several instances of figurative language used in the passage. O'Brien uses
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O'Brien uses personification to describe the way in which Lavender carried "unweighted fear" (1179). Fear is not something that can be weighed such as a "standard M-16 gas-operated assault rifle" or an "M-79 grenade launcher" (1179). This undeniably displays the pressure that the war had on the soldiers. The act of the soldiers carrying fear shows that they are just boys. The things they carry come to symbolize the fear they bear. "20 pounds of ammunition, plus the flak jacket and helmet and rations and water and toilet paper and tranquilizers" (1179), reveal the way in which masculinity is something real, tangible, and …show more content…
There is a biblical allusion in "The Things They Carried." Lieutenant Cross comes to symbolize the Christian Redeemer. As a lieutenant, Cross has to carry his troop. This is similar to Jesus carrying the cross. The cross Jesus carried is often a symbol of suffering or death. His last name Cross recall's the thing Jesus carried. He strives to be selfless after Lavender's death. He believes that Lavender's death happened because of his love for Martha. Cross "loved her so much and could not stop thinking about her" (1180). It is almost as if he has gone through a resurrection. As later in the chapter, he burns "the two photographs" (1188) of Martha. He sacrifices his love for Martha to ensure that his troop will survive. As Jesus suffered, Lieutenant Cross suffers. Cross has to put on the mask of Jesus and sacrifice his life for the lives of his soldiers. The concept of masculinity is shown as he does not take the time to come to term with the death of Lavender. Instead, he has to "accept the blame for what had happened to Ted Lavender" and "be a man about it"
O'Brien uses personification to describe the way in which Lavender carried "unweighted fear" (1179). Fear is not something that can be weighed such as a "standard M-16 gas-operated assault rifle" or an "M-79 grenade launcher" (1179). This undeniably displays the pressure that the war had on the soldiers. The act of the soldiers carrying fear shows that they are just boys. The things they carry come to symbolize the fear they bear. "20 pounds of ammunition, plus the flak jacket and helmet and rations and water and toilet paper and tranquilizers" (1179), reveal the way in which masculinity is something real, tangible, and …show more content…
There is a biblical allusion in "The Things They Carried." Lieutenant Cross comes to symbolize the Christian Redeemer. As a lieutenant, Cross has to carry his troop. This is similar to Jesus carrying the cross. The cross Jesus carried is often a symbol of suffering or death. His last name Cross recall's the thing Jesus carried. He strives to be selfless after Lavender's death. He believes that Lavender's death happened because of his love for Martha. Cross "loved her so much and could not stop thinking about her" (1180). It is almost as if he has gone through a resurrection. As later in the chapter, he burns "the two photographs" (1188) of Martha. He sacrifices his love for Martha to ensure that his troop will survive. As Jesus suffered, Lieutenant Cross suffers. Cross has to put on the mask of Jesus and sacrifice his life for the lives of his soldiers. The concept of masculinity is shown as he does not take the time to come to term with the death of Lavender. Instead, he has to "accept the blame for what had happened to Ted Lavender" and "be a man about it"