Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried"
“The Things They Carried” is a short fictitious narrative written by Tim O’Brien who explores the account of Jimmy Cross, an American officer and his soldiers serving in Vietnam. This powerful story is set in the Vietnam War, a battle which sounds prehistoric or ancient for most of today’s readers but which at the same time remains possibly vivid in the minds of the old generation. The narrative has been set in the postwar Vietnam and the author has illustrated this through the narrator, who revisits the country and the old battlegrounds where he fought at one time. The setting of this book is largely significant because the entire narrative is basically about the war in Vietnam.
The main conflict of the story is how the men struggle with both the instant and long-term effects of the Vietnam battle. In the actual sense, the war in Vietnam was the most advanced in terms of technology. The battle was extremely frightening in the history of all combats. There was no front line and clear means to identify the enemy also lacked. It was a common aspect to see civilians attacking the soldiers alongside. It was a revolutionary war where every man had to fend for himself. O’Brien provides a constant flow of events, recollections, annotations and an attempt at practicality. The author’s main argument is that the war in Vietnam was extremely impactful and that is why it still lingers in the minds of many.
The author has tried to bring out the real picture of the Vietnam era. The author has achieved this not only though setting but characterization as well. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is the main character in the narrative. This character has been sketched as an officer in charge of the conflict in Vietnam. Lieutenant Cross is seen for instance daydreaming about Martha who is his girlfriend, college, the beach, and several other things. This particular character is also seen behaving in a childish manner. This reveals the fact that although the kids combating the war in Vietnam were courageous, they were still immature at the same time.
The author through this tries to pass the information that the soldiers were too young to fight during the Vietnam era. These individuals were also not emotionally equipped to deal with the viciousness and cruelty of the battle. The author also tries to make the reader understand how the Vietnam era was like through other elements such as symbolism. The title “The Things They Carried” is symbolic in that it represents a list of what was carried to the war by the author’s fellow soldiers in the Alpha Company that was brought on their mission. In the story, the phrase “The Things They Carried” which is also the title of the narrative has been repeated over and over to emphasize as well as bring out the various meanings and functions of the expression in the narrative. Many of the things they carried during this era were not concrete objects and they entailed fear and guilt while there were other particular physical objects such as rifles, morphine, matches among several others.
The author of this particular narrative is an objective observer in that he differentiates truth from false. The author has analyzed and evaluated his information with great mindfulness. The author is not just interested in self-gain but minds other people as well. The author for instance appears to sympathize with the soldiers in the Vietnam combat. Using stylistic elements such as symbolism, the author reveals the torture that the soldiers were exposed to during the war. The author seems not to justify the war at any point. The author also observes life with an open mind and with much clarity. He is not bias but points out things in their actual sense. He is realistic and focuses on attaining the truth of the issue. The author does not try to control the results or the end. He instead lays the ugly truth of the Vietnam era on the table. O’Brien chooses reality and unlike other authors who try to make the end interesting, this particular author distances himself from being a controller the aftermath. “The Things They Carried” is a well written book in that it focuses on humanity but not self-interest. The author has portrayed his work in a way that it is part of a wider literary and human encounter in a historical perspective and this has also heightened the use of legendary aesthetics.
The author has also utilized rich style by including several devices which make the main argument even more forceful. All the words and sentences in the book are necessary. They all make sense and carry with them deeper meaning. “The Things They Carried” is a book that jogs the mind thus interesting to read. I agree with the author’s point of view since it reflects the harsh reality that was not only experienced in the Vietnam War but other past combats as well.
