The Things They Carried is a novel written by Tim O’Brien that consists of multiple short stories that occurred around the time of the Vietnam War. The short stories within the book revolve around their struggles and hardships that Tim O’Brien’s platoon experienced during the war. In the book The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien tells stories of Martha, Mary Anne, and Linda in order to show how women were used as coping devices for soldiers during the war. Their stories as a whole help develop the theme seed of love and war and how they develop their own identity in order to help or hurt the soldiers in an emotional way.
During the Vietnam war, women were often used as coping devices during the war; this is best shown through Lieutenant Jimmy …show more content…
In turn, the story of Mary Anne Bell helps demonstrate how women helped and hurt the soldiers, but in unusual ways. Mary Anne was flown out to a small medical base by her boyfriend and future fiancé Mark Fossie. When she first arrives the soldiers see her as very attractive and they liked her presence very much. The main purpose of flying her out was so that Mark could get his mind off of the war. She benefitted and soldiers because she “was good for morale. At times she gave off a kind of come-get-me energy, coy and flirtatious” (91). She also boosted the soldiers’ morale and helped keep their minds off the war by wearing clothing that would show off her body and by dancing to music at night. These actions made many of the soldiers to be attracted to her, “Mary Anne made you think about those girls back home and how innocent they are” (108). However, her curiosity helped her develop her own identity, which would hurt the medics’ moral boost. Mary Anne learned a lot about the Vietnamese culture and the war, which allows her to form her own opinions about the conflict. Eventually she started to go out on ambushes with field soldiers without telling Mark. This decision of hers hurts her lover because now Mark is now more focused on her rather than the wounded soldiers that he is supposed to be …show more content…
Their stories as a whole help develop the theme seed of love and war and how they develop their own identity in order to help or hurt the soldiers in an emotional way. Martha and Mary Anne both hurt the soldiers in a positive and negative way. They both provide the soldiers with something to fight for and something to get their mind off the war; however, the presence of the women causes the soldiers to lose focus which leads to avoidable death. Linda is the only women in the story that did not harm the soldiers, her existence provided Tim with a guide of how to cope with the excessive death in the war. If women did not have an emotional presence within the soldiers, the Vietnam War would have been a bigger failure than it already
During the Vietnam war, women were often used as coping devices during the war; this is best shown through Lieutenant Jimmy …show more content…
In turn, the story of Mary Anne Bell helps demonstrate how women helped and hurt the soldiers, but in unusual ways. Mary Anne was flown out to a small medical base by her boyfriend and future fiancé Mark Fossie. When she first arrives the soldiers see her as very attractive and they liked her presence very much. The main purpose of flying her out was so that Mark could get his mind off of the war. She benefitted and soldiers because she “was good for morale. At times she gave off a kind of come-get-me energy, coy and flirtatious” (91). She also boosted the soldiers’ morale and helped keep their minds off the war by wearing clothing that would show off her body and by dancing to music at night. These actions made many of the soldiers to be attracted to her, “Mary Anne made you think about those girls back home and how innocent they are” (108). However, her curiosity helped her develop her own identity, which would hurt the medics’ moral boost. Mary Anne learned a lot about the Vietnamese culture and the war, which allows her to form her own opinions about the conflict. Eventually she started to go out on ambushes with field soldiers without telling Mark. This decision of hers hurts her lover because now Mark is now more focused on her rather than the wounded soldiers that he is supposed to be …show more content…
Their stories as a whole help develop the theme seed of love and war and how they develop their own identity in order to help or hurt the soldiers in an emotional way. Martha and Mary Anne both hurt the soldiers in a positive and negative way. They both provide the soldiers with something to fight for and something to get their mind off the war; however, the presence of the women causes the soldiers to lose focus which leads to avoidable death. Linda is the only women in the story that did not harm the soldiers, her existence provided Tim with a guide of how to cope with the excessive death in the war. If women did not have an emotional presence within the soldiers, the Vietnam War would have been a bigger failure than it already