Essay On Women In O Brien's The Things They Carried

Women and men’s roles in society varied greatly during the Vietnam War. While women avoided the draft, protected from its brutality and tragedies, men were forced from their homes to serve in the ambiguous battles. In O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, women are portrayed as apathetic towards these soldiers. They are the homebound sex, not aware of the world outside their own. On the other hand, men are those who carry the weight of the world, submerged in the pain and politics of war. There lies this inequality that is addressed through the idea that women do not understand war because they did not partake in it. O’Brien uses The Things They Carried to illustrate the lack of involvement of women during the Vietnam War through their apathy …show more content…
They are brought up in the safety of American society, ignorant to the tragedy in the Vietnam War. O’Brien’s opinions are displayed through all the distaste that the women exhibit when being confronted with war: Lemon’s sister’s disrespect by not replying to Kiley’s letter, and Kathleen and the old lady’s misunderstanding of the concept of war. O’Brien then uses the story of Mary Anne to demonstrate what war would have been like if women were involved. Not only would there be a greater understanding for women, but they would make as an asset with their different strengths from men. The Things They Carried is comprised of stories of the war where women act as outsiders that do not connect and sympathize for the soldiers within, reflecting on O’Brien’s beliefs that women were uninvolved in the Vietnam War. Women were overlooked to be too fragile and needed to be protected, while in contrast, they had different strengths that could have empowered the United States’ army. In order for full involvement in the country’s politics, there must be equality for all people to have the opportunity, and not shelter any group in order to achieve a truly united