Death was a common theme in both the movie Platoon and the novel The Things They Carried. Death caused grief and strong emotions. Although the movie Platoon showed a more dark side to death including the killing of innocent people. Drug use was another similarity. Chris was pressured into using drugs when he arrived and in The Things They Carried, Ted Lavender had a drug problem. The more common drugs were marijuana and tranquilizers. In both the movie and the novel, the men kept in things that they cared about and photographs of their loved ones. In The Things They Carried, Jimmy Cross always talked about the girl he loved and Henry Dobbins carried his girlfriend’s pantyhose around his neck for luck. In Platoon, Gardner carried a photo of
