The Things They Carried

A detailed Summary of The Things They Carried

In Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, war in Vietnam has a powerful effect on the United States soldiers, changing them from compassionate people into insensitive and hardened machines. Each of the soldiers has a different response to the ordeals, and each react to them in a unique way. Some relieve their tension by taking it out on others, some mentally detach themselves, and still others become engrossed by the situation and become a part of the war.

One of the most profound examples of a soldier taking out his frustrations on others is the incident with the puppy. Earlier in the chapter, the author points out Azar's compassion for others. When Azar sees a Vietnamese with a plastic leg, "He shook his head sadly." (p. 35) However, later on, Azar's sense of compassion vanishes. There was the incident of "...Ted Lavender adopting an orphan puppy-feeding it from a plastic spoon and carrying it in his rucksack until the day Azar strapped it to a Claymore antipersonnel mine and squeezed the firing device." (p. 39) So, after initially feeling sadness at the atrocitie

s of war, his experiences drive him to relieve his frustrations by killing an innocent animal.

In Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, war has a profound effect on the characters, changing their emotions and personalities drastically. In this book, O'Brien shows us that if people encounter great horrors some can become cruel towards others, mentally detach themselves from the ordeal, or even give in and become completely engrossed by the situation. George Carlin once said, "We love war. We are a warlike people, and therefore we love war." (1992) While Carlin may be correct that many Americans by nature like the glory of a battle, O'Brien's book shows us what un-glorifying effects war can have on the grunts who actually fight it.

Other soldiers try to retain their sanity by mentally distancing themselves from the events of war. Ted Lavender, for example, uses several ounces of narcotics and tranquilizers to help liberate his mind from the proceedings around him. When people asked him how things were going, he would say, "Mellow, man. We got ourselves a nice mellow war today." (p. 36) Other soldiers

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Approximate Word count = 760
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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The Things They Carried

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