Fiction Essay
Throughout history, wartime has left soldiers and all parties involved with a burden that they carry on their backs. During times of hardship soldiers would carry objects to remind of them of home, their love and their friends and family. In a direct reflection of that concept, Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” focuses on a platoon of soldiers during the Vietnam war trying to mentally evade the hardships of war and slip into a coma of tranquility through objects they carried. The weight these soldiers carried were described individually by the mental, psychological and physical weight. Within the weight lies a symbolic meaning that reflects the lives of the soldiers outside of wartime. In Tim O'Brien's short story, “The Things They Carried”, he tackles stressors of war through symbolism by the objects that the soldiers carry to overcome the hardships such as Lieutenant Cross’s memorabilia of Martha, Rat Kiley’s comics and Henry Dobbin’s girlfriend’s pantyhose
One of the primary examples of overcoming the stressors that is displayed throughout the story which inevitably leads to the death of Lavender, a fellow soldier, is Lieutenant Cross’ letters, pictures and the shell that Martha, his …show more content…
This can be seen when Tim O’Brien explains, “Henry Dobbins carried his girlfriend's panty-hose wrapped around his neck as a comforter. They all carried ghosts” (349).Henry carries his girlfriend's pantyhose around his neck like a necklace. The concept of him wearing it around his neck is symbolism of people wearing crosses on their necks that comforts them that on the other side, may it be the afterlife or back at home, there is hope.. The author was alluding to the people at home that have become a memory when he refers to ghosts. Essentially, Henry Dobbins represents love and his defense mechanism was his love that he wore proudly to help him deal with the hardships of
Throughout history, wartime has left soldiers and all parties involved with a burden that they carry on their backs. During times of hardship soldiers would carry objects to remind of them of home, their love and their friends and family. In a direct reflection of that concept, Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” focuses on a platoon of soldiers during the Vietnam war trying to mentally evade the hardships of war and slip into a coma of tranquility through objects they carried. The weight these soldiers carried were described individually by the mental, psychological and physical weight. Within the weight lies a symbolic meaning that reflects the lives of the soldiers outside of wartime. In Tim O'Brien's short story, “The Things They Carried”, he tackles stressors of war through symbolism by the objects that the soldiers carry to overcome the hardships such as Lieutenant Cross’s memorabilia of Martha, Rat Kiley’s comics and Henry Dobbin’s girlfriend’s pantyhose
One of the primary examples of overcoming the stressors that is displayed throughout the story which inevitably leads to the death of Lavender, a fellow soldier, is Lieutenant Cross’ letters, pictures and the shell that Martha, his …show more content…
This can be seen when Tim O’Brien explains, “Henry Dobbins carried his girlfriend's panty-hose wrapped around his neck as a comforter. They all carried ghosts” (349).Henry carries his girlfriend's pantyhose around his neck like a necklace. The concept of him wearing it around his neck is symbolism of people wearing crosses on their necks that comforts them that on the other side, may it be the afterlife or back at home, there is hope.. The author was alluding to the people at home that have become a memory when he refers to ghosts. Essentially, Henry Dobbins represents love and his defense mechanism was his love that he wore proudly to help him deal with the hardships of