Short Story Review: "The Things They Carried"

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.