The Things They Carried
The story titled “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien emphasizes that during war, although often time’s soldiers are forced to carry pounds and pounds of equipment, they must carry something much deeper and more meaningful. These soldiers carry their own lives, along with it their memories of loved ones and fallen comrades, the enterprising fear of death in combat, and the greatest fear for any soldier: the fear of dishonoring themselves and their country by not executing their duties as a soldier.
As the text progresses, it seems O’Brien also progresses the perceived weight of what the soldiers are carrying. The beginning of the story simply states the tangible objects that the soldiers carry, such as ammunition, good-luck charms, and cigarettes. Although these objects have defined weight values, their weight is so miniscule in comparison to what is later stated that the soldiers are carrying. About half way through the text, O’Brien emphasizes that they bear the weight of memory, shared by each soldier in the platoon; the memory of deceased comrades that is represented in the dead’s belongings, still being carried by the platoon. O’Brien goes on to state that the soldiers carry the sky, the whole atmosphere, and gravity. As stated earlier, there is an obvious progression here. The progression continues as the text states that the soldiers “carry their own lives”. Based on textual evidence, this progression ends with the densest weight being carried by these soldiers. This weight is the fear of dishonoring themselves due to failure to execute soldierly duties. It’s the reason they claim they went to war. The reason they strap on their boots every morning and follow any order given by their lieutenant. This fear of dishonor cripples the soldiers to a point where they are willing to die “so as not to die of embarrassment”, this embarrassment being the “blush” of dishonor.
“The Things They Carried” emphasizes that, often in times of war, the greatest weight being ‘carried’ by soldiers is intangible. The greatest weight is often mental and emotional. As evident by the ending of the story, only after a soldier can compensate for this ‘weight’ can he properly fulfill his duties as a soldier.