The Things They Carried Major Assignment Example

In his book, The Things They Carried, O'Brien discusses his perspective on the war by exploring the idea of how one carries both physical and emotional weight from the war, and how this weight adversely affects that person. O’Brien specifically uses imagery and symbolism throughout the book to further emphasize this idea. This characterization takes place with Tim as well as the other soldiers around him; Tim represents the main character, in his case, he is trying to recount his personal experience in the Vietnam War which therefore allows him to comment on the war. We are first introduced to the war scene around Tim in Vietnam, starting with these soldiers wearing the same bodily army gear as everyone else, they have personal tangible and intangible belongings that set them apart. An example of this is when Jimmy Cross carries around a pebble with him, a f–ng pebble. Not only is a pebble quite useless because there is no functionality, on top of that it brings no value if you were to fight someone. Sure Cross may carry the pebble for some sentimental value, but in the end, it's rendered as futile. It also goes to show that not only are these men ill-prepared, but they are also seemingly lost in this war. Jimmy Cross, as an inexperienced lieutenant, is influenced by being in charge of his soldiers and bears a large portion of the war's weight. However, these assets were not only materialistic; they also made up the troops' traits, personality, and military identity.

In the chapter “Sweetheart of The Song Tra Bong.” O’Brien not only uses imagery to let us picture the war scene and the beautiful couple of Mary Anne and Mark Fosie but also uses symbolism for Mary Anne and how it relates to war and people changing. O’Brien focuses on Mary Anne by describing her as “This cute blonde-just a kid, just barely out of high school… she’s got on culottes… and this sexy pink sweater” (86).  Mary Anne was one of the people that really stuck out to O'Brien. We can see the words “culottes” and “sexy pink sweater” to address the fact that Mary Anne was dressed in a way that wasn’t suitable for war, wearing items that make her stick out like a sore thumb. Additionally, this shows the innocent side of Mary Anne and how she is unaware of what is happening by her bright and cute appearance. The word “Blonde” goes to describe Mary Anne’s bright yellow locks, and how this can make her a more visible target, which she doesn’t know as she is too young to fully understand what war is. O'Brien uses the phrase “just a kid” and “Barely out of high school” to further describe the fact that Mary Anne was a young naive woman who didn’t know the scenario around her. O’Brien goes on to tell us that Mary Anne came right out of high school to remain with her lover, Mark Fosie. Mark Fosie was a young soldier who wanted to bring his sweetheart to Vietnam to join him in the battle. 

As the war continues, the need to complete more tasks is required, the soldiers turn to Mary Anne for assistance. After days of learning and fascination, she can quite impressively complete all these different tasks, some of which are quite gruesome. However, we see her get exposed to the darker side of war and we start to notice something slowly changing. “No cosmetics, no fingernail filing. She stopped wearing jewelry, cut her hair short and wrapped it in a dark green bandana.”(94), and the eye-opening quote of “At the girl’s throat was a necklace of human tongues. Elongated and narrow, like pieces of blackened leather, the tongues were threaded along a length of copper wire, one tongue overlapping the next, the tips curled upward as if caught in a final shrill syllable.”(105) The words “no cosmetics” and “cut her hair short” go to show that she dramatically changed her appearance due to what was around her. We can even see the “necklace of human tongues” to show that the surrounding environment around war is quite grim and disgusting, but it also shows that as time goes on and you get a new feel and understanding for the darker sides of human life [war], and this can severely change your character. Not only was Mary Anne the lone woman in this chapter but she was also a symbol for the impact of war on each and every one of the troops. Despite the fact that she is a young woman visiting her lover, she becomes a representation of the themes of war and what it means to troops at this time. Because Mary Anne represents a vital component of the war and how the conflict affects many American troops, she becomes one of the most essential characters in the novel as it's the first real look at how one changes from war. Her shift from a gorgeous lady wearing culottes to an animal-like hunter wearing a tongue necklace reflects and exaggerates the transformation that all young men in Vietnam went through.

In the chapter “Field Trip” O’Brien describes a time in which Tim and his daughter are back in Vietnam, and they come to visit this dreadful place that had changed so much for him. “[Kathleen] “So when can we go? … shrugged and walked back to the Jeep. (pg 174) … This little field, I thought, had swallowed so much. My best friend. My pride.” O’Brien uses the phrase “little field” and “Jeep” to let us easily create a connection between our imagination and his point of view. We can easily see the field and a Jeep parked off to the side which brings a stronger connection and feeling to us [the reader], we can finally get a feel of the weight Tim has been carrying. 

Moreover, the chapter “Field Trip” delves into the intimate character of recollection, explaining the gap of understanding the situation between O'Brien and Kathleen. The thirty-four-year-old O'Brien and his ten-year-old daughter have vastly different interactions with the countryside field when they travel to Vietnam. Kathleen bemoans the fact that she has no personal connection to the filthy water or the enigmatic terrain. She can't see the region for what it is as a child, while a repository of memories for her father overcomes him. O’Brien lets us “see” Tim arrive at this field, it also gives him a chance for him to come to grips with what occurred so long ago and what has transpired since. 

In the end, the soldiers who participated in the war had to go through a shitfest of trudging through dead bodies, horrible smells, and constant wounds to their bodies. These incidents elicited powerful human emotions. It was those sentiments that they carried with them. Everything they carried, whether physical or emotional, had an impact on them. Everything they carried had the potential to break them down emotionally or physically in some manner. The most difficult emotional and psychological experiences for them to carry were undoubtedly pain, grief, a sense of safety, and dread. To survive the conflict, all of the soldiers needed to keep going. These warriors had to bear mental agony as a result of the items they carried, and this feeling had to be carried along with them, adding to the pain caused by the physical items they carried. One of the most prevalent types of pain experienced by troops was the loss of a buddy. This unimaginable pain for these soldiers would stay with them for the rest of their lives, some forever changed.