War has had a big impact in history from taking land or gaining power it has always changed the way that society views the world. Some people believe having wars are good but others believe that wars are really bad. Over time soldiers have had problems when they get home sometimes having mental breakdowns. During the time in war most soldiers usually have something to do either to have fun or just take their mind off of the war. In Tim O’Brien’s story “The Things They Carried” follows a small group of men in a war that explains what personal belongings each one of them have other than what they are required to have. The story’s main theme that the characters are faced was fear witch result to them having hope and escaping from reality. During …show more content…
Ted lavender has a unique last name. Lavender is also an herb that is used to relax a person after a long stressful day. In Sandy Cullen’s article “Lavender works well in the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and laundry room” she writes “Not only is lavender arguably the loveliest of herbs, with its delicate floral wands rising majestically above mounds of silver-gray leaves, its versatility makes it an amazing workhorse. It can clean and disinfect laundry, soothe sore muscles, ease tensions and aid relaxation (4).” Like the herd ted is said to have premium dope on him at all times. He usually uses the dope to be relaxed and get his mind cleared up from what he’s seen in the war so far. Dope much like lavender is used to get someone relaxed but as dope is much stronger he might also be using the drug to in some way escape reality at all …show more content…
Sanders is said to have been carrying condoms with him. To most soldiers it is so he can meet a girl during the war but to the general public it means something else. A condom is used for sex to protect both partners from contacting an STD. The condom in the story has to meanings one that come with sex and the other one that is protection. In a war most of the soldiers wear many things to be protected from anything that comes their way. Much like a condom Mitchell wants to be protected at all
Ted Lavenders six or seven ounces of dope and nine extra M-79 Grenades which he
For young people, the Vietnam War is a thing of the past and they can
...ave been. That night Cross “felt shame. He hated himself. He loved Martha more than his men, and as consequence Lavender was now dead.” Cross sobbed that night “he was grieving for Ted Lavender, but mostly it was for Martha, and for himself, because she belonged to another world” he came to the realization that he could no longer think about her because she did not love him the way that he loved her. He also could not continue to put her before the wellbeing of his platoon. So he gave up on her and the idea that they would ever be together.
Throughout the chapter many of the soldiers like Ted Lavender, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, Dave Jensen and Henry Dobbins all carried items that reminded them of home and kept them from panicking during the war. For Ted Lavender, who was terrified of the war, carried about six to seven ounces of drugs. He also carried tranquilizers, which kept him calm through every mission they had to do. Lavender took a tranquilizer right before he went to the restroom, on the night h...
Imagine walking through a rainy, humid tropical rain forest with forty to fifty pounds of precious luggage strapped to your back wondering where and when the next shot will be fired. Wondering whether or not you will live to see another day of combat with your brothers. American soldiers carried this burden with them every day while in combat during the Vietnam War. In the short story, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, he explains the positive and negative effects of the things that soldiers carried with them during the Vietnam War.
The title of the book itself couldn’t be more fitting. The Things They Carried is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Tim O'Brien about soldiers trying to live through the Vietnam War. These men deal with many struggles and hardships. Throughout this essay I will provide insight into three of the the numerous themes seen throughout the novel: burdens, truth, and death.
Tim O’Brien wrote the novel The Things They Carried in 1990, twenty years after the war in Vietnam.In the novel,Obrien takes us through the life of many soliders by telling stories that do not go in chronical order. In doing so we get to see the physical and mental things the soldiers carry throughout the war in Vietnam.Yet the novel is more than just a description of a particular war. In the things they carried Tim O’Brien develops the characters in the book slowly, to show the gradual effect war has on a person. O’Brien shows this by exploring the life of Henry Dobbins, and Norman Bowker.
... ahead of his men ever again, the letters he carried were only ten ounces but probably felt like a 1000 pounds. The morning after Ted was shot, Cross-burned his letters and even though he knew that he would always remember Martha, it meant a passage a lifting of the burden. No more wanting at night, no more wishing he was with her, no more letting his men die because of his love. He decided that he would become straighter, harder, a real leader even if his men didn’t like it. He would move on to the next village and after that the next until his tour was up and never again did he want to lose another man.
One of the main points in The Things They Carry, by Tim O’Brien, is that war changes people. This is evident in the behavior of Norman Bowker, Bob “Rat” Kiley, and the character Tim O’Brien. They each started out as kind young men but near the end had become very distraught. These men each shared many experiences but these experiences affected each one differently.
Jimmy Cross for example carried letters and photos of Martha wherever he went. He spent countless hours daydreaming of what life would be like if they were together. Other men also carried extra items that made their time in the patties a little easier. For example, some carried Bibles or condoms. The soldiers also made jokes and told stories to one another to lighten the mood and change the topic at hand. Some soldiers like Ted Lavender used drugs to ease the emotional pain. Tim O’Brien writes “They told stories about Ted Lavender’s supply of tranquilizers, how the poor guy didn’t feel a thing, how incredibly tranquil he was” (65). In addition all men would let loose when they got a day off. They would go to basecamps where they got to swim or see concerts. One soldier states, “the concerts had bad music but we all still had a great time” (Reph). It wasn’t so much the music that they enjoyed, it was the time when they felt safe and didn’t have to worry about being killed, they all got to decompress for a few days. The war was emotionally hard to handle because of all the death and fear. Soldiers did whatever they could to not lose control of their sanity. Although such items or activates don’t seem very comforting they momentarily rerouted the soldier’s
The Vietnam War was a challenging time for soldiers both physically and mentally. They often didn’t have a choice on whether they were going to war due to the drafting system that had been in place. Many had tangible and intangible things that they carried with them for the sake of their sanity or their job in the unit. The chapter, “The Things They Carried”, in the novel The Things They Carried, captures this immaculately. The author, Tim O’Brien, speaks of the things each man within his unit carried with him. Each man did not just carry tangible objects with him, but also intangible objects as well .
In Tim O’Brien’s novel, The Things They Carried, numerous themes are illustrated by the author. Through the portrayal of a number of characters, Tim O’Brien suggests that to adapt to Vietnam is not always more difficult than to revert back to the lives they once knew. Correspondingly the theme of change is omnipresent throughout the novel, specifically in the depiction of numerous characters.
Dave Jensen carried three pairs of socks and a can of Dr. Scholl's foot powder as a precaution against trench foot. Until he was shot, Ted Lavender carried six or seven ounces of premium dope, which for him was a necessity (O'Brien, 4).
The Things They Carried is a collection of stories about the Vietnam War, but in reality, the book centers around the relationships the men make, their connections to the world they left behind and the connections that they formed to Vietnam. The stories are not war stories, but stories about love, respect and the bonds made between men when they spend day after day fighting just to stay alive.
Throughout Tim O’Brien’s novel, The Things They Carried, a plethora of stories are told concerning the lives of a select number of soldiers in and out of the Vietnam War. In his writing, O’Brien also conveys his own thoughts on the art of storytelling and the nature of stories themselves. In these passages, O’Brien provides a detailed analysis of the challenges of storytelling, the effects of time on memory, the role of imagination in storytelling, the reason for retelling a story, and a story’s purpose and process for the reader.