Tim O' Brian's Case

Stage 1 English: The things they carried analytical essay.

In Tim o’ Brian’s multifaceted Vietnam war novel The things they carried , what a soldier carried was often subject to personalization. Individual necessity altered the details of what each soldier carried. Although there was standard SOP, each soldiers kit would vary depending on there personal comforts.

These comforts would provide peace of mind for the men, and make the hell of war that little bit more bearable. This peace of mind would come in many forms. For some, it was a reminder of the world they left behind. Letters from lovers or family would that would provide solace for the soldiers in the thought that a peaceful world exists outside the horrors of war. For others it was extra ammunition or provisional, to make the soldiers feel more secure in the combat zone.

Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is a main character in The things they carried, he plays a symbolic role in O’Brien’s novel. What Cross carries, both physically and mentally have an impact on both the characters of the novel and Obrien’s underlying message. However, the object that Cross carries through thought, dreams, and memory is what has the largest impact on the novel. Cross thinks of Martha, his sweetheart friend back home, who does not love Cross quite the way he loves her. Through the war, this psychological object of a future with Martha both corrupts and supports him.

Initially, Obrien seems to promote the relationship between Cross and Martha as one of romantic intemacy, rather than depressed separation due to the war. Obrien states that ‘it was aloneness that filled him with love’, further implying that the envisioned relationship with Martha was causing Cross’ sobriety through the hell of war. Obrien tells of Cross’ daydreams about Martha, involving fantasy situations of tranquility. These dreams involve metaphysical details, consistent with obrien’s writing style. For