Weight In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

Used throughout the story, the word weight is the most paramount word in the story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O'Brien. It shows the emotional, physical, and revisionary impacts that the Vietnam War had on adolescent men, and how they have to carry the physical and poignant weight for and towards the war. This word emphasizes the burden men carry and how the war’s weight is a catalyst for a man to change.. Each man had the burden of bearing a disparate amount of weight during the war. It is the weight of war that impinges on a man. Dependent on the individual man, the weight varies based on the physical build and priorities. O’Brien makes reference throughout the story of the imperial weight on the men’s shoulders. For example “Henry Dobbins was a big man, [so] he carried extra rations” (O’Brien 366). Each item recorded has a weight describing it, portraying the physical burden a man must carry for the war. In the beginning, Lt. Jimmy Cross’s 10 ounce letters from Martha were significantly more important to him than the other items of protection. This showed how the weight of one item is not equivalent to its importance. The small weight of Martha’s letters greatly impacted a reason for Cross’ change. Throwing away rations

The weight of fear is shared among every man. “[Men] were afraid of dying, but they were even more afraid to show it” (O’Brien 380). The weight of fear and fear of being a coward changes how then men will communicate, fight, and act in war. The emotional baggage that they shared were ethereal, however it weighed a significant amount. The location also added to the weight the men had to haul. It is the mud in their boots and feeling in the air. If a “mission seemed hazardous,” they would carry all the weight they could bear (O’Brien 372). The mission’s weight and collective fear impact how the war is fought and how men will