Are you one of those who has trouble sleeping or do you end up with headaches, stomachaches, and other kind of problems that are not related to physical well-being? The reason for this may be The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. The book contains how the author copes with fighting in a war. The things they carried is a war memoir that tells the story of how those who fought in The Vietnam War struggled with their memories and trauma. The Things They Carried is filled with many different coping strategies to help them survive and live through The Vietnam War.
There were so many things written about The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien and it seems impossible to keep track of all of them. It was even suggested that The Vietnam War has taken over his life, because every little detail was important – just like it is during a wartime. The author had created such vivid scenes, readers felt as if they were watching a film instead of reading emotions on pages. As The Things They Carried describes events that happened more than forty years ago, most likely The Vietnam War still haunts The Things They Carried author.
The use of language allows readers to identify the protagonist’s feelings and trace his personal journey throughout The Vietnam War. The Things They Carried demonstrates how lack of communication takes over The Vietnam War, which is shown by the failure of communication between soldiers during patrols. Although war might be considered organised chaos, there are rules that need to follow. The communication problem results in miscommunication- two different conversations beginning at the same time without any listeners capable of understanding both parties involved(Him).
The use of repetitive phrases describing an object or an emotion was a very effective writing technique because it automatically brings back memories for people who experienced The Vietnam War. It stimulates emotions felt during war times making it impossible not to be affected by The Things They Carried. The Vietnam War was a very long and difficult journey for soldiers, The Things They Carried makes it easier to understand why they would need some kind of coping strategy to survive the war. The Things They Carried are not just physical objects that soldiers carry with them during The Vietnam War.
Memories of The Vietnam War are also included in ‘the things soldiers carried’. The memories have been described as being part of their souls which is what made them go on even though The Vietnam War changed them completely(O’Brien). Soldiers who come back from The Vietnam War begin their life once again but this time experiencing symptoms commonly known as post-traumatic stress disorder. Many people believe PTSD results from the natural and unavoidable response of the brain and body to extraordinarily stressful, frightening or painful events.
The symptoms of PTSD include: reliving The Vietnam War through memories and nightmares; avoidance or numbing The Vietnam War through staying away from whatever remind them of The Vietnam War; feeling keyed up all the time (hyper-arousal) (PTSD Canada). All those things soldiers carry were included in The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. Even though most people can relate themselves with some characters or stories that protagonists created during The Vietnam War, it was safe to say they would not be able to experience what they went through and understand how intense it was.
The Things They Carried is definitely a book one should read at least once in The Vietnam War. The book has helped many people understand The Vietnam War, not only the soldiers who went through The Vietnam War but also their families and friends. The Things They Carried is definitely a very important novel for everyone to read because The Vietnam War was not something that should be forgotten about or considered as ‘ancient history. It was more of a lesson that needed to be shared with the future generations.
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a collection of short stories that take place in The Vietnam War. The book is told from the perspective of an unnamed twenty-something male who was drafted into the war. The narrator reminisces on his memories of The Vietnam War, and how The Things They Carried helped them cope with The Red Stipes, The Deserts, The Land Mines, The Enemy American Troops, etc…
The Things They Carried are what soldiers carry around to remind them of home while being in The Vietnam War. Some carried letters from their mother or girlfriend. Others carried magazines everyone else read but they couldn’t because it didn’t fit their standards. The most common item though was tobacco products because soldiers needed it to deal with The Red Stipes. The narrator mentions in The Things They Carried how Tobacco was crucial, “it’s a little item, but it helped save my life” (O’Brien 242). Tobacco was one of The Things They Carried that soldiers used as a coping mechanism for The Vietnam War.
The Things They Carried also included M&M’s because they needed something sweet to help them deal with The Deserts; especially when the sun beats down on their heads and face and scorches their skin while they stumble through The Deserts. These items like Magazines and Tobacco were carried around until the soldier started losing his mind or got shot or killed by someone.
After surviving The Vietnam War, many veterans brought The Things They Carried back home with them. The narrator from The Things They Carried talks about this and how The Vietnam War affected their lives after they got back to The United States, “I’ve thought about what it must have been like to unpack after the war…” (Obrien 248). The veterans brought these items around because The Ways of The War instilled in them The Habits of The Soldiers that can never die no matter where they go. The veterans didn’t know what was home anymore just as much as America didn’t recognize them as a soldier when they came fight for them during The Vietnam War.
The military has methods to help soldiers deal with the physical and mental stressors that come with combat situations such as The Vietnam War. The military gives The Soldiers The Things They Carried because The Ways of The War are ingrained into the soul of every soldier that leaves The United States to fight for freedom. The things soldiers carry with them can be anything, but tobacco products are common choices to help cope with stressors during war because it is something they all have in common and it takes their mind off the situation.
Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried uses these coping mechanisms as a way to understand how The Vietnam War affected people who participated in it. Veterans still think about The Vietnam Wars years after fighting for America, which shows that The Habits of The War still exist even though the veterans were not at war anymore. These items help veterans cope with The Memories of The War since The Things They Carried helped them stay sane while being in The Vietnam War. The Ways of The War are hard to get rid of because soldiers turned The Things They Carried into The Habits of The Soldiers where they carry these items with them even after returning home from war.
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a collection of short stories that take place during The Vietnam War. The book is narrated by an unnamed twenty-something male who was drafted into the war, and how he used things like tobacco products, magazines, etc… as coping mechanisms to help him deal with stressors that came with his situation.
