Tim Obrien\'s \"The Things They Carried\" Short

¶ … Tim Obrien's "The Things They Carried" Short story College English (Literature) class. MLA Format.

Carried Away

There are several instances of repetition in Tim O'Brien's short story "The Things They Carried," which is actually the first chapter in a book he published with the same title. Rhetorically, the author uses both alliteration and anaphora (which is, respectively, the repetition of syllables and the repetition of words or phrases) to punctuate many of his paragraphs. However, O'Brien's usage of repetition actually plays a fairly integral role in his structuring of this particular tale, and even in providing a moral for this story centered around events that took place during the Vietnam War. The author utilizes repetition to emphasize various themes associated with this tale, such as the overwhelming burden of the physical and emotional strain of enduring this armed conflict. O'Brien's constant reliance upon repetition underscores the substantial burden of coping with the deleterious effects of the war, which is exemplified by the death of one of the company members and its leader's assignment of responsibility for that death.

By repeatedly referring to the personal life of the lieutenant in charge of the soldiers depicted in this short story, the author is able to indicate just how involved that officer was with a young lady, -- and how his involvement with her repeatedly distracted him from focusing on providing efficacious leadership for his troops. "The Things They Carried" both begins and ends with references to lieutenant Jimmy Cross's musings about a civilian woman named Martha, whom the former believes he loves. By constantly referencing the various talismans and keepsakes that Cross literally carried relating to this woman, O'Brien is able to demonstrate how much of his mental and cognitive processes were absorbed in daydreaming about her, which the following quotation illustrates.

Lieutenant Cross gazed at the tunnel. But he was not there. He was buried with Martha under the white sand at the Jersey Shore. They were pressed together, and the pebble in his mouth was her tongue. He was smiling. Vaguely, he was aware of how quiet the day was; the sullen paddies, yet he could not bring himself to worry about matters of security (O'Brien 1990).

This quotation was just one of the many instances in which the author repeatedly references the Cross's daydreaming about Martha. What is significant about this particular reference is that it occurs just before one of Cross's men is murdered -- which the lieutenant subsequently blames himself -- and his infatuation with this woman -- for. O'Brien's constant references to the objects, letters, and pictures that the lieutenant uses to daydream about Martha helps to underscore the fact that this infatuation is directly related to his inattentiveness on duty, which leads to the death of his comrade. The blame for this death is one more thing Cross must carry with him during the war.

In a similar fashion to his copious references to Cross's infatuation with Martha, O'Brien also repeatedly states that Ted Lavender is the soldier who is shot and killed. There are hardly any references to lavender in the text that do not state that he is the soldier who gets murdered. These constant references to Lavender's death indicate to the reader that this death will be a central factor in the plot of this tale. Lavender is essentially a pawn in this story who is sacrificed to demonstrate that Cross's inattentiveness would cause another burden for him to shoulder for the remainder of the war. This type of psychological burden is intermingled with the physical burdens that the soldiers took along with them in their duties, which the following quotation indicates. "Dave Jensen carried night-sight vitamins…Lee Strunk carried his slingshot…Rat Kiley carried brandy and M&M's. Until he was shot, Ted Lavender carried the starlight scope" (O'Brien 1990). This quotation demonstrates the author's proclivity for repeating what each member of the company "carried." It also indicates that virtually all references to Lavender repeat the fact that he gets killed. This repetition allows the O'Brien to emphasize the burden the soldiers endured, and that one of the most heaviest burden was the psychological trauma associated with seeing their comrades killed.

The final passage in which Cross resolves to pay more attention to his job -- and less to Martha -- also relies upon repetition to underscore the young man's newfound resolve for his duty, which the subsequent passage demonstrates.

…he would impose strict field discipline…He would be careful to send out flank security…He would insist on clean weapons. He would confiscate the remainder of Lavender's dope…he would call the men together and speak to them plainly. He would accept the blame for what happened to Ted Lavender (O'Brien 1990).