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Tim O'Briens 1990 novel The Things They Carried was an important piece of
fiction that centred around the writer's experiences in Vietnam. While most
of works of fiction on this conflict would attempt to pull the reader in via
accurate descriptions of the harsh realities of this conflict, O'Brien expanded
the use of repeated symbolism to convey the theme of the book; that it is

not the story that is important but the telling of the story. It is a theme
that he returns to regularly throughout.

Although Tim is a central character, he has fictionalised himself for the story
alongside the rest of the platoon, therefore allowing him to create experiences
which in reality may not have been his own. The importance of this is seen
via his reference to 'the man i killed' a dead Vietnamese soldier, whose life and
his loss he conjectures with that of his own. This dead enemy becomes a symbol
not just for the loss those who died but also for the loss of self that Tim feels
came with the responsibility of killing another.

O'Brien likes to contradict the reader's notion of the war and the difficulties that
many veterans feel when describing their experiences. Soldiers can one page be
the young kids they were joking around, the next battle hardened and brutal.
The re-telling of a story such as the GI writing to his dead buddies sister is a
point in question; It will be told to show the depth of emotions that the soldier
feels for his loss, the next it will be a savage commentary on the lack of interest
that th sister meaning America had for what they were going through over there.

To conclude, the symbolism found within The Things They Carried is an important
tool for O'Brien to get across the message of this novel. That it is not the story
itself that is important, but the need to share the experiences that O'Brien and
other veterans have.

Learn more about this author, Dan Gilfeather.
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