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Introduction
Most literary works are created by their authors not only to entertain the readers but also to serve high purposes and provide people with unique ideas. Certainly, this objective may be achieved by certain plot and plot twists that directly convey the writers thoughts. However, sometimes the author does not want to make their insights, values, and ideas so obvious and decides to hide them with the help of unique literary devices. Such a veil allows writers and poets to include profound, controversial, and surprising concepts that become available only to careful readers who are actually passionate about the book or poem. Moreover, not talking directly about the idea makes it possible for a number of various interpretations and associations to arise with different people.
For example, in his great 1990 book titled The Things They Carried, Tim OBrien concentrated on the emotions and conditions of people at war. Nevertheless, instead of providing only direct descriptions, the author uses the characters belongings as representations of their emotional burdens (Field 18). The purpose of this paper is to disclose the personal things the soldiers carried with them during the war and discuss how they reflect the inner state of their owners.
The Motif of Physical and Emotional Baggage
The motif of tangible and intangible baggage of every character of The Things They Carried is essential for understanding this book. Both physical and emotional burdens are interconnected and reflect each other so that a reader may get the complete picture of the soldier and his internal state. Therefore, this is the primary aim of this motif to make the images of the men comprehensive, different, and empathic. Indeed, this technique helps evoke sympathy, anger, or any other strong emotion in relation to the characters in the readers (Krajeck 43). This may be explained by the fact that in real life, many people carry certain things with them, some of which are not necessary but are dear to the owners for one reason or another. The same happens with the men in the book, and this familiar trait increases the interest of readers.
As mentioned above, the physical baggage of every man in this book reflects their inner state, concerns, turmoil, worries, dreams, challenges, and other characteristics (Field 25). Moreover, most of the material objects carried by the soldiers are linked with their pre-war past and represent peaceful times but then become tarnished by the trauma of what happens in the battle (Van de Voorde). Thus, some of the belongings are also a unique bridge between the past, present, and future of the soldiers.
Mens Priorities Represented by Their Belongings
To begin with, it is crucial to discuss how the characters personal items reflect their unique values, needs, and priorities. First of all, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and the things he carries are great examples. More than once, the narrator mentions that Cross is obsessed with a girl from his college, Martha, who he has not ever dated (OBrien 2). However, he does not want to give up on his feelings and hopes, so his priority is to save his love, get back home, and make everything possible so that Martha returns his feelings. That is why he always carries her letters and photographs with him (OBrien 2). These things represent Crosss primary value, purpose, and priority. It is also essential to mention the specific moment of his objective changing. After the death of Ted Lavender, Cross blames himself for being irresponsible and decides to focus on his duties as a leader. That is when he finally burns the letters and pictures, which symbolizes the modifications in his values and priorities (OBrien 22).
Furthermore, it is possible to suggest that Dave Jensens jackknife is also a particular item that reflects valuable information about this and another character. The jackknife was stolen and then returned to the owner by Lee Strunk, and this event caused a major fistfight (OBrien 59). However, the whole situation did not leave the two men enemies but made them good friends as they learned to trust each other and follow their principles. Therefore, the jackknife that Jensen carries reminds him of that incident and his friend and represents their mutual trust, which is a valuable characteristic of these two soldiers.
Next, Kiowas personal items tell about his values and beliefs, as well as some traits of his personality. For instance, he carries an illustrated New Testament presented by his father and an old hunting hatchet left by his grandfather (OBrien 3). These belongings link the young, compassionate, and diligent Kiowa with his past, family, and hope to survive the war and return home. However, even the New Testament does not save the young soldier, and Kiowa dies in a gruesome way, so the things he carried and the lack of dignity in his death reflect the wars senseless tragedy and ability to turn individuals into statistics. The New Testament is also needed here to demonstrate the absence of God at war and His inability to protect soldiers.
Mens Emotional Conditions Represented by Their Belongings
As mentioned above, the soldiers personal items also reflect their feelings and emotional traumas. All characters in The Things They Carried are recent teenagers, very young boys who want to love, date, learn, and live a normal life. However, they are at war, where they have to survive and kill other people. Their emotional state is not stable; these boys are afraid of dying and murdering. On the one hand, they do not want their friends to be killed, and seeing them being shot contributes to their physiological traumas. On the other hand, they also feel relieved and try to joke when grieving for the murdered soldier because they are glad to be alive. All these concerns are represented by the things they carry.
First, it is crucial to mention Ted Lavender, even though he does not frequently appear on the books pages. The item he always carries with him is his tranquilizers (OBrien 11). The narrator mentions that Lavender was usually scared and had a habit of popping four of five tranquilizers every morning. It was his way of coping, just dealing with the realities, and the drugs helped to ease him through the days (OBrien 218). Thus, this is probably the most important example of an item reflecting a characters inner state in this book. Further, Jimmy Crosss letters and photographs that he carries with him and then burns reflect not only his priorities but also his psychological condition. These personal items represent his deep trauma and thirst for romance since he cannot stop fantasizing about that girl even when being at war.
Vietnam Represented by Universal Things
Apart from the unique items mentioned and discussed above, there are also some things carried by all or most characters that may be considered universal. These are typical belongings of a soldier that they require to survive the war. For instance, most men have a two-pound poncho, grenade launchers, a compress for fatal injuries, and M-16 assault rifles (OBrien). Rat Kiley, as a medic, carries serious wound supplies, morphine, and malaria tablets. Finally, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is the groups leader and has to take the compasses and maps to guide his soldiers (OBrien). Indeed, all these objects are universal not for this books characters but for all soldiers, especially in those times. However, the aim of these items is as vital as the purpose of personal things like tranquilizers, the New Testament, or a girls photographs. These universal things represent the soldiers carrying Vietnam itself, as well as its dirt, blood, heavy weather, and horrors. These items have become a part of the characters and will have a substantial effect on their future by leaving a mark on their memory (Lahti).
Conclusion
To draw a conclusion, one may say that the books characters emotional burdens and traumas are actually related to their physical baggage. Careful investigation and analysis of the things the soldiers carry with them throughout the stories allow the readers to understand each character better and study their perceptions of friendship, war, life, death, part, and future. Finally, by providing his characters with such baggage, OBrien indicates that all people have their own burdens that may represent their problems and traumas but remain an integral part of their life, and it may be challenging to part with them.
Works Cited
Field, Jenna Campbell. The Soldierly Code: War Trauma and Coping in Tim OBriens The Things They Carried. Scientia et Humanities: A Journal of Student Research, vol. 10, 2020, pp. 16-26.
Krajeck, Amy. The Things They [All] Carried: Discovering Theme through Imagined Stories of Votive Offerings. The English Journal, vol. 99, no. 2, 2009, pp. 42-47.
Lahti, Ruth A. H. Gesturing beyond the Frame: Transnational Trauma and US War Fiction. Journal of Transnational American Studies, vol. 4, no. 2, 2012.
OBrien, Tim. The Things They Carried. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.
Van de Voorde, Eline. The Burden of Being Alive. A Trauma-Theoretical Reading of Tim OBriens The Things They Carried. 2007. Ghent University Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, dissertation.
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