Weight of War in the Things They Essay

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Weight of War in "The Things They Carried"

Point-of-view, imagery and characterization become useful tools that enhance the reader's experience in Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried. O'Brien captures nuances of specific scenes during his time in Viet Nam in such a way as to deliver gripping commentary about war. From watching a fellow soldier die to seeing a sweet girl transform right be fore his very eyes, O'Brien shows us the unbearable side of war. Through point-of-view, imagery and characterization leaves no question in our minds about what war does to the individual.

The narrative focus in The Things They Carried is compelling and it helps O'Brien voice his opinion about the war in general. Through his stories, a pattern of the emotional toll of the war emerges. Many war stories elaborate on the physical ruin war brings but O'Brien's focus is more on the mental ruin that occurs in the minds of the soldiers. This style allows O'Brien to incorporate many characters, settings, and nuances into the novel while making the mental connection with the reader. With the narrator's point-of-view, O'Brien demonstrates that Viet Nam is not just a place on the map -- it is a collection of memories that refuse to go away for any soldier that ever fought there.

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In the story, "The Things They Carried," each soldier bears the weight of the "land itself -- Vietnam, the place" (O'Brien 15) and this "emotional baggage" (O'Brien 21) includes:

Grief, terror, love, longing -- these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity . . . They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained . . . They carried the soldiers greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed . . . because they were embarrassed not to. It was not courage, exactly; the object was not valor. Rather, they were too frightened to be cowards" (21, 22).

Here we see how O'Brien establishes his point-of-view by expounding upon the weight of the war.

O'Brien also uses imagery as a literary tool in the novel. In the earlier description, we see the intangible weight but O'Brien also shows us the tangible weight as well. This image helps readers balance the enormity of what the soldiers carried. We read some of the men carry "P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, fog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tables, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two or three canteens of water" (O'Brien 2)......

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