The Things They Carried Essay - 1838 Words

Christian Hernandez Professor Sarah Cantrell English 1102 â€Å"The Things They Carried†: Emotional side The story of The Things They Carried written by Tim O’Brien gives a good outlook on how the Soldiers feel and think during the war . The story describes the different things that the soldiers carry with them while at war. O’Brien talks about the different items in great detail such as weight, color, shape and size but he also gives extraordinary details about not only their personalities, but even more about their emotions with the personal things they carried with them. Every single object that the men carry when they go to war plays an emotional touch in their lives. There are certain things that they carried†¦show more content†¦I keep that in my pocket, just to get me through.† (Koppel 2003). â€Å"Ive got a teddy bear my wife sent to me for Valentines Day, a big man with a soft voice says, sharing the lucky charm that he keeps safe from the sand in a zip-lock bag. The little brown bear holds a heart stitched with gold xs and os. Hugs and kisses, the soldier says, as trucks gear up in the desert beside him† (Koppel 2003). Not only Lieutenant Cross or the soldiers in the story â€Å"The Things They Carried† share these similarities but perhaps all the soldiers in the world share it when it comes to emotional feelings related with a personal thing. They take these memorable and meaningful things with them that perhaps for some people is nothing big, but for them, it is basically their life and like a fellow soldier mention, just to get them through. Not only have those things played an emotional feeling in the soldiers live but also a little bit of their background. Out of all the sacrifices that the soldiers make, the cultural side also plays a huge part. They have to do things that they are not used to such as taking a shower with cold water or even not taking a shower for days. Also, eating can food or different types of food that they are not familiar with. O’Brian takes you to a whole new level when he describes the necessary things they carry â€Å" Among the necessities orShow MoreRelatedThe Things They Carried in the Things They Carried1141 Words   |  5 PagesThe Things They Carried in â€Å"The Things They Carried,† by Tim O’Brien In â€Å"The Things They Carried,† by Tim O’Brien the theme of â€Å"carrying† both physical and emotional objects by the main characters can be found in the novel. While these men carry the same standard physical army gear, they differentiate with personal tangible and intangible items. From Lieutenant Cross’s responsibility of his men, to Henry Dobbin’s girlfriend’s pantyhose for its magic, each man faced the war with these things attachedRead MoreThe Things They Carried880 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien the author tells about his experiences in the Vietnam war by telling various war stories. 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This story does an amazing job portraying full human emotion that anyone put into a situation would feel, such as heavy guilt, sadness, anger, lack of motivation, perseverance, horror, and false security. All of these are notorious feelings that every soldier back in history, and now stillRead MoreEssay on The Things They Carried515 Words   |  3 PagesThe Things They Carried The Things They Carried, by Tim OBrien, is a generalization of his own experiences in Vietnam although the story itself is a work of fiction there is still much to be learned from it. Through the actions of soldiers in The Things They Carried we can begin to explore the effect war has on the human condition and the toll it plays on their minds. Some of the themes in the book, The Things They Carried, are bravery and what true bravery is, truth and how the manipulationRead MoreThe Things They Carried Essay1015 Words   |  5 PagesThe text, ‘The Things They Carried, is an excellent example which reveals how individuals are changed for the worse through their first hand experience of war. Following the lives of the men both during and after the war in a series of short stories, the impact of the war is accurately portrayed, and provides a rare insight into the guilt stricken minds of soldiers. ‘The Things They Carried shows the impact of the war in its many forms: the suicide of an ex-soldier upon his return home; the lessening