Tim O’Brien’s, The Things They Carried, was about an American soldiers in a platoon in the Vietnam War. The short story recounts everything they carried with them as they marched through Vietnam. What these soldiers carried with them daily was not only physical but also intangible. For example, an intangible weight was, “More than anything, he wanted Martha to love him as he loved her.” The love that he had for her and the love he longed from her, consumed his attention day in and day out. Thus, the love he felt for Martha ended up being responsible for his guilt he carried around with him for the death of one of his men. “He felt shame. He hated himself. He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence Lavender was now dead
