Things They carried - Essay Example

Due The Things They Carried Discussion The novel, ‘The Things They Carried’ is a collection of stories written by a Vietnam War veteran. The novel discusses the lives of soldiers who were called to duty to Vietnam. The author, Tom O’Brien narrates how their lives ass soldiers were during the war. He expresses various aspects of the war in various real stories that show the real situation on the ground and the situation of the America soldiers serving in the war. The title is derived from the things that soldiers took with them to the fields of combat.

The author explains several things that each soldier carried; food items, pictures of loved ones, drugs, communication equipment and ammunition (5). Each soldier has personal items that reminded him of life at home. This shows that the war was brutal and death was imminent. The author recounts how he was called to service. He explains how he tried to elope to Canada due to personal conviction that the war was not justified. However, fear of criticism and alienation made him adhere to the call.

According to him the war was wasteful and he considers himself a coward for engaging in a war that was not justified, in his own sense. In the war, the deaths of comrades keep reminding survivors of the imminent danger. However, the soldiers are psyched up by their obligation to the country. They try to keep their dead friends alive in their minds by engaging in stories about them.Analysis of the novel The narrator uses fictional characters to represent real aspects of the war. The main characters are used to perpetrate the themes that the author wants to express.

The characters include; Tim O’Brien, Mitchell Sanders, Kiowa, Bob “Rat” Kiley, Norman Bowker, Henry Dobbins, Curt , Bobby Jorgenson, Lemoned Lavender, Jimmy Cross,  Lee Strunk, Dave Jensen, Azar,. The named characters were members of the Alpha Company. He takes on a narrative format to express various themes that were pertinent in the war. It shows the suffering and hard decisions that soldiers had to make. The soldiers suffer physical and emotional burdens while at war. The theme is manifested symbolically through the heavy loads that they carry.

They are perturbed by the status of their family, love relationships, fear and responsibility. For example, Dobbins carries his girlfriend pantyhose, an indication for longing of love. Jimmy carries a map which is a show of responsibility, just to name a few. Death claimed most of his of colleagues and was damaging to the emotions of the soldiers. Truth is another theme that is manifest in the novel. Though the characters are fictional, their actions and situations depict the true scenarios of the Vietnam War.

Consequently, the narrator is not hesitant to explain the realities of the war and the sacrifices that had to be done. The characters fit the roles of real soldiers who served alongside O’Brien in the war. He also shares his feelings about the war and the reasons he did not believe in the war that he was pat of. Courage and fear of shame is another lingering theme in the work. O’Brien believes that the war is unjust, thus, he is not willing to be part of it. However, as a soldier, he must be courageous and serve without questions.

He fears shaming himself and his family by refusing to go to war. He opts to override his conviction and goes to war. In conclusion, the book is instrumental in explaining the events of the Vietnam War. It vividly shows the efforts and sacrifices made by the soldiers in the war by taking a closer look on the soldiers’ perspective. Although Tim O’Brien claims that this book is about peace, it voices the echoes of war and destruction that existed during the war period. Work citedOBrien, Tim.

The Things They Carried. New York: Mariner Books, 2009. Internet resource