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An Unfolding of "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

In life one carries around a variety of things. Some people are like Atlas, in that they bear the weight of the entire world on their shoulders, while others may have no more than the shirt on their back. Tim O'Brien's short story, "The Things They Carried", is an introspective story about a soldier's memories and a self-conscious examination of his war tales. We meet Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and the Alpha Company and learn about the different things he and his men carried during the Vietnam War. In this story one is able to learn a great deal about a man and his character by simply looking at the things he chooses to carry.

The primary reason to carry something during a war is arguably because of necessity. O'Brien clearly agrees with this because he begins the story by saying:

The things they carried were largely determined by necessity. Among the necessities or near-necessities were P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two or three canteens of water (O'Brien 389 ).

While not all of these items are an everyday necessity, they are all things that at one point could prove to be vital for a soldier. Unfortunately, the convenience comes with a cost, the price being determined by the soldier's metabolism and personal habits that he brought into the war. The soldier's pack alone could weigh up to twenty pounds. Other necessary items were for protection. It was SOP, standard operating procedure, for all soldiers to wear jungle boots weighing 2.1 pounds, a steel helmet weighing 5 pounds, and due to the mine infested terrain a steel centered, nylon covered flak jacket weighing 6.7 pounds. That just being the tip of the iceberg, in addition to the soldiers carrying the 30 pounds of equipment thus far, they still had to lug around guns, extra ammunition, plus special supplies depending on their current mission. It was common for soldiers to carry up to half their weight in what was considered necessary supplies. Day after day soldiers hiked through the jungle terrain with their heavy packs chipping away at their strength and moral. These are just some physical items they chose to carry due to basic necessity; other things they bore came from their individual beliefs and desires. A nervous soldier by the name of Ted Lavender

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