"The Things They Carried" Review

October 19, 2012

"The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

            If you have ever wondered what being a soldier in the midst of war is like then you should read the short story written by Time O’Brien, “The Things They Carried.” This story is set in the heart of the Vietnam War and discovers the baggage that soldiers carry physically and emotionally. It follows Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his soldiers, and what goes through their head during the war. For some of them it was love letters or photographs of their loved ones back home.

            One of the main conflicts in the story is the soldiers’ fear of not being brave enough and not having enough courage. This is why I like the story because it shows that not all soldiers are fearless and in fact, most of them are scared. In this quote it explains why their fear was the biggest weight they felt during the war. “They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide. And in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down, it required perfect balance and perfect posture.” The soldiers all knew that each other was scared of being weak but they didn’t talk about it just so they could keep their pride. Another reason I like the book is because it reminds me of the movie Forest Gump.  If you have not seen the movie Forest Gump there is a section in the movie when the main character, Forest, goes to war, but he always thinks about his best friend Jenny. Jenny is Forest’s true love but she doesn’t think of him in the same way. This relationship reminds me of the relationship with Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his college friend, Martha. They both have very different feelings for each other and in this quote it shows how much he cherished the letters from Martha. “First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey. They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them folded in plastic at the bottom of his rucksack.” The hope Cross got from Martha even writing to him gave him more motivation to go on in the war, even if she didn’t express the feelings he wanted her too.

            Overall “The Things They Carried” is an excellent short story filled with themes have weakness, love, wanting, and guilt.  I enjoy it because of its in-depth description of what actually goes through a soldier’s mind while he is in the midst of a war. Its relation to the movie Forest Gump makes it even better because that is one of the best classic movies I’ve ever seen. You should read “The Things They Carried” if you want a moving tale about a soldiers mind and heart in the Vietnam War.