Weight of War in the Things They

Weight of War in "The Things They Carried"

Point-of-view, imagery and characterization become useful tools that enhance the reader's experience in Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried. O'Brien captures nuances of specific scenes during his time in Viet Nam in such a way as to deliver gripping commentary about war. From watching a fellow soldier die to seeing a sweet girl transform right be fore his very eyes, O'Brien shows us the unbearable side of war. Through point-of-view, imagery and characterization leaves no question in our minds about what war does to the individual.

The narrative focus in The Things They Carried is compelling and it helps O'Brien voice his opinion about the war in general. Through his stories, a pattern of the emotional toll of the war emerges. Many war stories elaborate on the physical ruin war brings but O'Brien's focus is more on the mental ruin that occurs in the minds of the soldiers. This style allows O'Brien to incorporate many characters, settings, and nuances into the novel while making the mental connection with the reader. With the narrator's point-of-view, O'Brien demonstrates that Viet Nam is not just a place on the map -- it is a collection of memories that refuse to go away for any soldier that ever fought there. In the story, "The Things They Carried," each soldier bears the weight of the "land itself -- Vietnam, the place" (O'Brien 15) and this "emotional baggage" (O'Brien 21) includes:

Grief, terror, love, longing -- these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity . . . They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained . . . They carried the soldiers greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed . . . because they were embarrassed not to. It was not courage, exactly; the object was not valor. Rather, they were too frightened to be cowards" (21, 22).

Here we see how O'Brien establishes his point-of-view by expounding upon the weight of the war.

O'Brien also uses imagery as a literary tool in the novel. In the earlier description, we see the intangible weight but O'Brien also shows us the tangible weight as well. This image helps readers balance the enormity of what the soldiers carried. We read some of the men carry "P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, fog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tables, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two or three canteens of water" (O'Brien 2). Here we actually see what they carried. This image is not mysterious; it is real and it helps readers identify with every small thing each soldier touched throughout any given day. Imagery is realistic and eye opening as demonstrated when Ted Lavender is shot. We read that he "lay with his mouth open. The teeth were broken. There was a swollen black bruise under his left eye. The cheekbone was gone" (12-3). The imagery is precise and powerful. Nothing is left to the imagination and yet nothing is overdone for the sake of shock value. These images work well to convey the devastating effect of war.

Another successful technique O'Brien uses to convey his sentiments about the war is characterization. One story that brings this to light is "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong." The character of Mary Anne is one that we can relate to a young girl from the United States. She arrives to Viet Nam in "culottes and this sexy pink sweater" (102) and transforms into a person "of the bush" (110). The character of Mary is important because represents all that is good and pure about America. She is innocent before Viet Nam. The experience changes her in a frightening way because she becomes an individual that feeds off the mood of the land. She becomes engrossed with what war is all about and it consumes her. It destroys that perfect girl that came from the states. She is so changed that the soldiers around her fail to understand what is happening to her. She is hypnotized with war and says "When I'm out there at night, I feel close to my own body, I can feel my blood moving . . . it's like I'm full of electricity and I'm glowing in the dark -- I'm on fire almost -- I'm burning away into nothing -- but it doesn't matter because I know exactly who I am" (121). Here we see the negative effects of war and how it ravages anything that comes into contact with it.