Google dictionary defines war as a
state of conflict between different nations or states. Synonyms include battle,
fight, struggle, or conflict. But it does not include the many important
emotions that go along with war: distress, fear, loneliness, regret, and more.
Although Google does not include this essential point of war, I think the short
story by Tim O’Brien “The Things They Carried” not only emphasized the physical
aspects of war but the emotional and mental aspects too. His organization of
facts, in a story in the past and then in a story in the present, makes the
reader fully aware of what is happening in the story. Through his own experience
in the Vietnam War, Tim O’Brien includes important factual information about
what emotions play out in war.
The story of Martha and her letters
she sends to Lieutenant Jimmy Cross was a good way to start the story, because the
idea of romance and the suspension of where it might lead intrigued me. I first
thought it was sad that they were apart, but later I realized Jimmy Cross’s
love for Martha was flat out strange and over the top. “He would imagine
romantic camping trips into the White Mountains in New Hampshire. He would
sometimes taste the envelop flaps, knowing her tongue has been there.” To me,
that is disturbing! I don’t know how the author came up with the idea of
tasting the envelope, but it just leads me to the idea that maybe the author
himself once had an experience of an obsession with a girl. Sadly, in the
beginning, you learn that Martha does not love Jimmy Cross and he just has a
creepy obsession with her. I thought his love was cute at first, but later in
the text I realized he was wasting his time obsessing over someone that did not
love him back, which I thought was depressing, not romantic. But for being in
the war alone for so long, the love at home gave Jimmy something to live for,
something that gave him hope. It reminds him of home and his childhood, which
is a good thing to hold onto when you are alone and far from your loved ones. The
inclusion of soldier’s loves from home was a great way to express that war is
not just about fighting but the emotional hardship of being apart from someone
you love and trying to stay in touch with them. Jimmy Cross carried both
pictures and a good-luck pebble from Martha. These items always assured him
that Martha was near, which can give him hope in times of stress and fear.
Showing the soft side of the soldier is important in this story because it
emphasizes that the soldiers aren’t always tough. He may look fearless on the
outside but on the inside he is constantly mourning over a girl that will never
love him back. I liked how Tim O’Brien included love as missing someone is
present in war and it is okay.
The short story also describes the
physical challenges soldiers endured during the Vietnam War. Soldiers had to
carry an overall 20 pounds including: all types of heavy weapons, helmets
weighing 5 pounds, shoes weighing 2 pounds, and safety necessities. Tim O’Brien
listed the things they carried in a way that was not boring or repetitive, but
astonishing. I don’t know how they managed to carry that weight, try to save
people’s lives, and shoot people! After
the list of the physical weight they carried, the author switched the story
back to the emotional aspect. It went in depth into a story of Ted Lavender’s
(a fellow soldier) death and how the other soldiers were moved by it. “He was
dead weight. There was no twitching or flopping. Kiowa, who saw it happen, said
it was like watching a rock fall, or a big sandbag or something – just boom,
then down.” “Like cement.” This unfortunate event shocked the men. It also
brought fear to them. They were not only afraid of dying, but showing their
fear to their fellow soldiers. I thought this was a huge detail to include when
discussing the men in war. Tim O’Brien shows this side of the soldiers to show
that war is not just about fighting and guns but the fear of dying and losing
loved ones or showing their fear to their peers. I thought that was strange
that they would be embarrassed by it. Maybe it is a sign of weakness in the
soldiers’ eyes, but to me it is a sign of being human.
