The Soldiers Endure In Tim O 'Brien's The Things They Carried'
Heavy Baggage the Soldiers Endure in Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried
Often times, when we are asked, “What is a burden?” we often say that it is something that is difficult to bear, something that often leads to a great deal of anxiety and stress, and something that acts as the foundation of difficulty and trouble one may face. In the literary excerpt, “The Things They Carried,” written by Tim O’Brien, the author illustrates the significance of burdens, and how the consequential emotional weight can take a toll on ones’ life. In this piece, the soldiers may be burdened by both physical and psychological tribulation, but ultimately, it is the ultimatum that they are faced with that serve as their true fundamental burdens.
In O’Brien’s short story, the first and most blatant indicator of the burdens war bestows upon the soldiers, is the …show more content…
These soldiers are drafted to fight on behalf of their nation and forced away from their love ones at a considerably young and vulnerable age, making them increasingly susceptible to the emotional baggage they bear, “They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing – these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity tangibles, they had tangible weight” (454). Throughout the story, the soldiers are forced to carry necessities of war, “20 pounds of ammunition, plus the flak jacket and helmet” (449), as well as various personal belongings such as “photographs”, “magazines”, “bibles” and “dope” so as to find comfort and escape from their terrifying reality. Using any means available to numb the “weighted fear” they subsided in, “Ted Lavender who was scared, carried […] tranquilizers” (449). The soldiers portrayed in this excerpt force
Often times, when we are asked, “What is a burden?” we often say that it is something that is difficult to bear, something that often leads to a great deal of anxiety and stress, and something that acts as the foundation of difficulty and trouble one may face. In the literary excerpt, “The Things They Carried,” written by Tim O’Brien, the author illustrates the significance of burdens, and how the consequential emotional weight can take a toll on ones’ life. In this piece, the soldiers may be burdened by both physical and psychological tribulation, but ultimately, it is the ultimatum that they are faced with that serve as their true fundamental burdens.
In O’Brien’s short story, the first and most blatant indicator of the burdens war bestows upon the soldiers, is the …show more content…
These soldiers are drafted to fight on behalf of their nation and forced away from their love ones at a considerably young and vulnerable age, making them increasingly susceptible to the emotional baggage they bear, “They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing – these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity tangibles, they had tangible weight” (454). Throughout the story, the soldiers are forced to carry necessities of war, “20 pounds of ammunition, plus the flak jacket and helmet” (449), as well as various personal belongings such as “photographs”, “magazines”, “bibles” and “dope” so as to find comfort and escape from their terrifying reality. Using any means available to numb the “weighted fear” they subsided in, “Ted Lavender who was scared, carried […] tranquilizers” (449). The soldiers portrayed in this excerpt force