The Things They Carried Symbolism Essay Sample

In the chapter “the Rainy River” written by Tim O'Brien, our author consistently uses symbolisms throughout the chapter.But Was the purpose of that? By using symbolisms it Discreetly Shows us, the reader, where O'Brien is at mentally,choices O’brien has to face and deal with due to the war and even show us what is in store for us.For example how something as simple as a summer job can leave a man scared or having to choose between fleeing form a war or staying and having to fight in a war he might posible never come back from.

The first symbol we see in the chapter is the meat packing plant,O'Brien's summer job before he would have to go to fight in the vietnam war.When discussing that summer O’brien said “I'd go home smelling of pig.It wouldn't go away. Even after a hot bath, scrubbins hard, the stink was always there”(41).The “smell” was a metaphor for slaughter,and by saying that the smell wouldn't go away no matter how hard he would scrub it is a symbol for departmental affect the war would have on him,Shadowing early on how he would try to run.

The second major symbol is the Elroy berdahl.Elroy is one of the main characters in this chapter Reviving O'Brien not only food and shelter but even a supportive friend. O'Brien explicitly states:He was the true audience. He was a witness, like God, or like the gods, who look on in absolute silence as we live our lives, as we make our choices or fail to make them. (On the Rainy River.74)If Berdahl is God, God is ambiguous in this situation. He does not force Tim to make a decision, and he does not pass judgment on Tim in any manner. He's just standing there, observing, and his presence is palpable

The last symbol in this chapter is the Rainy River. In the story the river can be used as a symbol for the journey of Tim O’brien. It's a steady flow, much like life.representing the borders between two worlds, is also a metaphor of life because it is a continually moving, one-directional body. TimO'Brien was obliged to make the final decision here, whether to return home or continue his flight.O’Brien says “I would go to the war”(57)