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Things They Carried

            
             "The Things They Carried" by Tim O"Brien is a story that lacks drama in the beginning but has plenty towards the end. One of the main characters Ted Lavender is killed (which is revealed near the end of the story) due to his Lieutenant Jimmy Cross" fantasizing about Martha a girl he loves who does not love him back. It is only until the death of Lavender that Lt. Cross can rid his mind of Martha and focus on his duties to be a good Lieutenant. O"Brien's use of repetitions throughout the story is structured in a manner to keep the reader's interest without giving away to many details until the end of the story. The repetitions in the story are constant descriptions of the things each solider carries, Lt. Cross" fascination with Martha and Ted Lavender's death. O"Brien's repetitious structure in "The Things They Carried" is by far the main factor that adds suspense in this story.
             O"Brien implants what each soldier is carrying firmly in the reader's mind by listing things the soldiers need for necessity (61), superstition (66) and emotional baggage (70). This constant reminder is structured so that the reader can feel the heaviness of each soldier's load. "Among the necessities were these items weighed 15 and 20 pounds depending on a man's habits or rate of metabolism" (61). O"Brien allows the reader to envision themselves trudging through the Than Khe swamps carrying ammo, good-luck charms and memories of loved ones but most of all the fear of being killed. .
             This allows the reader to keep reading to find out what is going to happen to each soldier, who is going to succumb to the pressures of the war and/or their own fears. O"Brien's use of what the soldiers carry in each section appears to be overkill but at the end of the story it is very much appreciated. So, that the readers can be transformed into the Vietnam War carrying a lot of weight and the heaviest of them all fear.


Essays Related to Things They Carried

1. Things They Carried

The Reason for O"Brien's Title In Tim O"Brien's story, "The Things They Carried," he describes the important things men carried in war and why. ... The things they carried out of necessity might seem minor to a civilian. ... Another reason for the things they carry came from the individual jobs the soldiers had. ... Some of the things they carried depended on certain situations. ... Work Cited Tim O"Brien, "The Things They Carried," in Literature and the Writing Process. ...

  • Word Count: 651
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Analysis of The Things They Carried

In the short story, "The Things They Carried," Tim O"Brien writes about the soldiers of Vietnam and the self versus war or nature that all of them had to carry with them. In this story, O"Brien writes about the intangible things that the soldiers carry with them such as memories and fears and also the actual material things that they carried. ... The things that they carried defined what kind of person that they were as well as their status or position in the army. These material things that they carried showed the reality of the war. ... The things men carried inside." ...

  • Word Count: 459
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

3. The Things They Carried

An Analysis of "The Things They Carried" In Tim O"Brien's short story "The Things They Carried" he describes a group of American soldiers marching through Vietnam. ... These were "things men carried inside" (O"Brien 972), so they were much harder to bear throughout the conflict. ... The soldiers in "The Things They Carried" carried many things with them on their march. They were all heavy loads whether they were tangible, intangible or regrettable items that they had to carry. ... Jimmy Cross realized), "It was very sad the things men carried inside" (O"Brien 968). ...

  • Word Count: 461
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. the things they carried

This is a story not so much about the things the men of Alpha Company carried, but rather the burdens that they could not put down. ... "The things they carried were largely determined by necessity", but each man's necessities were different. ... With the death of Ted Lavender, O"Brien begins to develop the core of this story: How the men of Alpha Company dealt with the things they carried inside. ... The things men carried inside. The things men did or felt they had to do." ...

  • Word Count: 1054
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

5. The things they carry

This is a story not so much about the things the men of Alpha Company carried, but rather the burdens that they could not put down. ... "The things they carried were largely determined by necessity", but each man's necessities were different. ... With the death of Ted Lavender, O"Brien begins to develop the core of this story: How the men of Alpha Company dealt with the things they carried inside. ... The things men carried inside. The things men did or felt they had to do." ...

  • Word Count: 1047
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

6. The Things They Carried

In Tim O"brien's short story, "The Things They Carried," he describes a certain platoon humping through the jungle of Vietnam. ... The things each soldier would carry were both tangible and intangible items. ... They all carried the basic essentials for survival of war and the things that would make living possible by carrying the bare minimum of what they absolutely had to have. ... The whole atmosphere they carried gravity." ... The soldiers in "The Things They Carried" carried many things with them on their humping missions. ...

  • Word Count: 922
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

7. The Things They Carried Is A Story

"The Things They Carried" is a Story What makes a story a story? ... Since the plot of the story seems so accurate, one might argue that "The Things They Carried" should not be considered a story. ... The fact that the story is a narrative is another reason why "The Things They Carried" is a story. "The Things They Carried" shows a change in some characters after they interact with other characters and deal with their problems. ... So there is no reason why "The Things They Carried" should not be considered a story. ...

  • Word Count: 904
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

8. The Things They Carried

Titles in literature are very important to the symbolism of a story an example of this is Tim O"Brien's "The Things They Carried". ... "What they carried varied by mission." ... All of "The Things They Carried" helped to add to the stress of the war and also help to quell it, they carried what they needed. ... O"Brien does a very good job making it understood that "The Things They Carried" was not only objects but also emotions and memories. Life was hard but that was the new world these men entered and unless you were willing to shoot your self in the foot, it was the world that you ...

  • Word Count: 1163
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

9. The Things They Carried

For the Vietnam War those great stories are captured in Tim O"Brien's story "The things they carried". ... Besides "The Things They Carried," O"Brien wrote many other dazzling novels. ... Tim O"Brien also pours the pain in his heart and soul from his tragic Vietnam War experience into "The Things They Carried". ... All of the short stories in "The Things They Carried" are based on O"Brien's personal experiences. ... He took this life experience and put it in "The Things They Carried" and "In the Lake of the Woods". ...

  • Word Count: 1155
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

10. The Things They Carried

Among the many solders in the Alpha Company, there were many things that were carried with them. They carried object such as can openers, knives, dog tags, bug repellent, water, guns and food. ... However, there were a few items that the soldiers carried not because they had to or because they needed it in order to survive physically but because they needed it in order to survive emotionally. ... He also carried pictures of Martha. ... In "The Things They Carried" by Tim O"Brien, the soldiers carried many things but each had a valuable item that gave them intangible comfort that helped th...

  • Word Count: 580
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

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