Female Characters in the Things They Carried

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a collection of stories, thoughts and feelings of men pushing through the Vietnam War. The war is shown as a man’s war, with women being scarce. They existed in the corners of the novel, only seen as far memories or cherished pictures. The Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong is the only time a woman is a central character, and even so, her story is riddled through a man’s voice. These three small female characters are overlooked as the tale of Mary Anne outshines their significance. They are each revealed as important as the narrator when the impacts they made are analysed. These roles, displayed in Martha, Linda and Kathleen, are love, death and enabling.

The women in this novel are exhibited as a sort of fantasy to the men, to remind them of what world is waiting for them outside Vietnam. Martha is one such example to Lieutenant Jimmy Cross of the Alpha Company. He carries a number of items from her that he absolutely treasures, and though her letters to him are signed “Love, Martha”, Cross knows she does not return his love for her. Martha is all Cross thinks about during his time in Vietnam, and due to his inattention to his men, Ted Lavender is shot dead. He begins to blame himself for his irresponsibility and feels guilty about not being able to protect his soldiers, so he destroys and leaves behind his love for Martha. The situation that Cross encountered illustrates the conflicts of love, war and responsibilities, and the necessity to confront the tension between fantasy and the real world. This is a small but important feature in the novel as it affects all the characters involved. O’Brien uses their story to show the separation created by the war and the distractions from the harsh confrontations the soldiers must meet, as well as the risks they may cause.

The concept of death in The Things They Carried is laid out on a broad spectrum, and the link to the story about Linda becomes