When placed in a monotonous, tedious situation, it is only mankind's instinct to defer from the experience and find comfort in another. One desires a gateway to fulfilling their inclination, whether it is in a way to reminisce or to fantasize. In the novel The Things They Carried, O’Brien implements women as a metaphor for an idealist fantasy. It states that during an uneventful environment, one will be inclined to fantasize their own personal desires, to escape from the sad reality.
Women are primarily portrayed in the novel as the symbol of desire and obsession. The war acts as a place of boredom, thus providing a reason for the soldiers to delay themselves from the current situation and find relief in something that interests them. Jimmy …show more content…
Mary Anne showcases this symbol greatly as her time in Vietnam increases. She was “this cute blond— just a kid, just barely out of high school…” once she enters into Vietnam (86). Rat Kiley even described her as “very friendly” (89). This description sets up for her character— an innocent, sweet girl excited to visit her boyfriend at war. All the soldiers were excited for her arrival, impressed with her “D-cup guts, trainer bra brains” (92). Mary Anne is seen as a pleasurable sight by the men, nothing more, nothing less. But with time, Marry Anne is adapting to her environment. She starts to get curious about things and “...had a good quick mind” (91). She was intrigued by the war, and that interest turned into a very pivotal part in her life. She was in a constant pursuit of knowledge on how the native people lived and would very often sneak out of her room at night to explore. Her boyfriend, Mark Fossie, is unable to have her agree to leave Vietnam, but he is successful in having her abide by his rules for a short period of time. This process fails, as she one day disappears forever and comes back one day, completely changed. O’Brien begins to describe her eyes as emotionless and having “no sense of the person behind it” (105). She even had a necklace of human tongues. Her alteration stunned the soldiers immensely, as they would have never thought for women to enter a war zone, rather become a part of it. Mark’s initial fantasy of bringing Mary Anne to the country would be that he would achieve her comfort and she would remain unaffected by her surroundings. Her conformity to the environment surrounding her refuted Mark’s and the other soldier’s fantasy that women are only to be used as a form of
Women are primarily portrayed in the novel as the symbol of desire and obsession. The war acts as a place of boredom, thus providing a reason for the soldiers to delay themselves from the current situation and find relief in something that interests them. Jimmy …show more content…
Mary Anne showcases this symbol greatly as her time in Vietnam increases. She was “this cute blond— just a kid, just barely out of high school…” once she enters into Vietnam (86). Rat Kiley even described her as “very friendly” (89). This description sets up for her character— an innocent, sweet girl excited to visit her boyfriend at war. All the soldiers were excited for her arrival, impressed with her “D-cup guts, trainer bra brains” (92). Mary Anne is seen as a pleasurable sight by the men, nothing more, nothing less. But with time, Marry Anne is adapting to her environment. She starts to get curious about things and “...had a good quick mind” (91). She was intrigued by the war, and that interest turned into a very pivotal part in her life. She was in a constant pursuit of knowledge on how the native people lived and would very often sneak out of her room at night to explore. Her boyfriend, Mark Fossie, is unable to have her agree to leave Vietnam, but he is successful in having her abide by his rules for a short period of time. This process fails, as she one day disappears forever and comes back one day, completely changed. O’Brien begins to describe her eyes as emotionless and having “no sense of the person behind it” (105). She even had a necklace of human tongues. Her alteration stunned the soldiers immensely, as they would have never thought for women to enter a war zone, rather become a part of it. Mark’s initial fantasy of bringing Mary Anne to the country would be that he would achieve her comfort and she would remain unaffected by her surroundings. Her conformity to the environment surrounding her refuted Mark’s and the other soldier’s fantasy that women are only to be used as a form of