The interlinking of fact and creative writing in “The Things They Carried” produces many commentaries concerning the vague nature of his stories along with the meta-fictional value of his narrating methods. This has been attributed to the attention he gives to each character, and soldier in the war. Every soldier has certain expressions, dreams, and hurting that have been individually addressed by the writer in all volumes of the text. These wishes and feelings are the main elements that build the plot of the story, starting from the “things they carried” from home as a means of remembering their loved ones, to the end of the war (Massi, 2001, p. 59). Two of the literary elements in the short story that contribute to the theme Plot American combatants in Vietnam in the course of the cold war carried many items, and the majority of them were from the residence.
First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross held mail from a young woman called Martha, who was a university student in New Jersey. Lieutenant Cross loved Martha, but Martha did not feel the same way about him. In anticipation of Martha one day loving him, Lieutenant Cross regularly daydreamt of taking passionate holidays with her (Massi, 2001, p. 74). Lieutenant Cross interacts with several other people while at war. Henry Dobbins is an enormous man who enjoys eating, hence, carried lots of food from home.
Ted Lavender is another character who was frightened of tranquilizers: a fear that took his life. In general, all men had a common item they carried, and these were necessary war tools and attire. The men carried helmets and boots that they wore when at the battlefield. Tim O' Brien narrates the men’s brave nature and personalities that were constantly broken or shared during combat (Massi, 2001, p. 81). At such moments, these men cried and made promises to God about sparing their lives and protecting them throughout the war.
The story clearly explains the horrific experiences the men went through. However, the men looked fearfully courageous in front of other people and narrated funny stories to separate the horrific experiences and their current lives. As a result, they altered their language and word choice to ease certain situations. They used words such as "greased" or "offed" or lit up” to refer to someone’s death. The adoption of such terminologies did not imply that they cared less about the dead.
Instead, they did not want to expose the fragile and soft spots they held. All men also dream of being taken off the war by either shooting their toes or simply sleeping it off (Massi, 2001, p. 96). Setting The reference made to human conditions and feelings in the editorial is resounding and critically successful. O' Brien talks of the important attribution, the standard of the Vietnam War writing on the soldiers. One of the feelings expressed in the novel includes despair amongst the soldiers (Saunders, 1992, p. 62). Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, Dobbins, and Lavender are some of the soldiers who dreamt of going back home to their loved ones after the war ended.
The despair has been associated with extreme desperation because of the suffering they endured while at war. Lavender was willing to shoot his toe in order to be declared unfit for combat, and be shipped home for therapy.
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