Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

The series of connected short stories, The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien received a title that says it all. In every book, the title has multiple facets. Subtly, this title is about more than the physical objects that they had to trudge with them; it's about the abstract struggles they had weighing them down as well. Usually, the tangible and the abstract things they wore connected and related to each other. The objects they brought with them were always an expression of their individuality, mindset, situation and fears.

One prime example of how the things the soldiers humped through the forest with them reflected who they were and the mental state they were in is Kiowa and the diverse things he brought. The bible is the most notable

Most people equate being religious to strictly following one's morals, which the considerate Kiowa always does, and so we know the bible is an extension of him and his personal set of virtues. The fact that he prioritizes and treasures his holy bible represents how he prioritizes and treasures the values learned from his Christian faith. In what seems like complete opposition to this, he also carries his Native American grandfather's feathered hatchet, though it must weigh a lot and it isn't even close to one of the most deadly weapons he has. It doesn’t have much function as a weapon in a twentieth century war zone but it helps him keep his humanity with the emotional significance it has for Kiowa. The hatchet serves as a reminder of who he is, where he comes from, and the inherited strength he has inside himself from his ancestors making it through so ,much brutal oppression. Cultural associations give him confidence and maintain his individuality in a situation that calls for perfectly conforming soldiers so "Kiowa always took along his New Testament and a pair of moccasins

When looking for the big picture, it is important to look at the stuff in common that all the soldiers carried such as, most obviously, their weapons and the responsibility that comes with it. They all had to carry weapons no matter if they were big, small, the leader, the medic, or just plain stupid. Regardless of experience, purpose, position, or maturity level, each soldier was handed an instrument of mortal destruction and the weight of the responsibility of controlling it. This circumstance correlates with the process of being drafted as well since it is always a life changing event that's random, unbiased, inconsiderate, and transfers the power to take lives to ordinary citizens essentially . Once plucked from their individual domestic lives from all around the country, the young men all struggle with the same issues. How do such young men, boys really, deal with the very adult concept of death, politicized violence and survival? They are all just barely men and not one of them has reached the age thirty yet. O'Brien criticizes the drafting system and Vietnam War further by portraying the youth, innocence, and even the potential to have a happy adult life being stolen from them by either death or intense emotional strain brought on by being put in a circumstance totally unfit for young'ins. However, the