Essay about Change In The Things They Carried - 1636 Words

Change In The Things They Carried a war novel by Tim OBrien, we are told many short stories compiled to make a whole. I want to emphasis on the importance of the chapter Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong. In this chapter we are introduced to the character Mary Anne. She shows the changing power of Vietnam, that a sweet innocent young girl can come into this land and be forever consumed by her surroundings. The speaker show us this through character action, character description, dialogue and metaphor; this enhances the literary work by showing us that the soldiers will always be a part of Vietnam no matter how hard they try to get away from it. Mary Anne was a young sweet innocent girl unaffected by the war at first. The speaker†¦show more content†¦True, this may have also happened even if she didnt go over seas. Having Fossie gone for a long period of time may have sparked her curiosity. Her innocence was soon lost in the war. Mary Annes curiosity provoked her change. You se e this from the way she is described. If it wasnt for her avid nature to learn more about her surroundings she may have stayed the same. She wanted to know everything about Vietnam, she didnt just want to sit back and watch. She wanted to be in the action. Though she was young, Rat said Mary Anne Bell was no timid child. She was curious about thingsÂ…asking questionsÂ…. listen quietly while someone would fill her in. She had a good quick mind.(95) She was enthralled by her surroundings she wanted to do and know everything, she was in a new place ready and willing to learn unlike the soldiers who were there only because they had too. The speaker shows us this in this quote. They carried the soldiers greatest fear, which was the fear of blushingÂ…it was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positiveÂ…they kept humping. They did not submit to the obvious alternative to fall.(21) This quote is to inform the reader that the only reason a solider would go to war and to stay there is from the fear of blushing That they werent there by choice. The term humping is used. It is there way of dealing with the war. They just have to keep on ‘humping and everything would be all right. It was there wayShow MoreRelatedChange and Emotions in The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien and â€Å"Cathedral, by Raymond Carver975 Words   |  4 Pagessaid, â€Å"The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.† This quote relates to Lieutenant Jimmy Cross from the short story â€Å"The Things They Carried,† by Tim O’Brien and the narrator from â€Å"Cathedral,† by Raymond Carver in that they both change. Lieutenant Cross gets distracted by Martha, a girl he is in love with, during the War and one of his man dies. The narrator from Carver’s short story gets jealous about a blind man his wife usedRead MoreThe Things They Carried1417 Words à ‚  |  6 PagesSpring Book Review In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien tells the tale of not about war, but rather about war’s effect on one’s mentality. Ultimately, this novel is built on a foundation of the items that the soldiers of the Vietnam War carried. Whether it was the way Jimmy Cross uses the pebble to escape from his duties as a soldier or when Norman Bowker realizes that courage comes form within, not from receiving a Silver Star; O’Brien uses baggage as a symbol throughout the book to teachRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1472 Words   |  6 Pageshonor as a lady, I have read the entirety of The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. 2. Many character’s develop throughout O’Brien’s novel, but there is a chapter dedicated to the entire development of Mary Anne Bell and the extreme effects the war had on her. Although Mary Anne is not involved in any other piece of the novel, she is a perfect example of the effects of war on individuals- which are an important aspect of The Things They Carried. Throughout the chapter titled â€Å"Sweetheart ofRead MorePsychological Effects Of War Has On Soldiers821 Words   |  4 Pages War has been known to cause negative mental effects among soldiers. Whether it be PTSD, depression, or a change in personality, war takes its toll. Because of its application to the real world, this common theme is often expressed in literature. In Tim O’Brien’s â€Å"The Things They Carried,† he explains the physical and mental burdens that soldiers carry. He also describes how these burdens create psychological stress and eliminate soldiers’ ability to feel normal emotion. Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"Soldier’sRead MoreA P By John Updike And The Things They Carried By Tim OBrien976 Words   |  4 PagesThe two short stories used in this comparison are â€Å" AP† by John Updike and â€Å"The things they carried† by Tim O’Brien. Both stories deal with the feel of impotence, loss, shock and both characters fantasizes with a girl during the time of the Vietnam War. I will show some similarities and contrasts in the settle a nd how it affects the plot But. Also, the characters of each story. Both are similar in the motivation of the character towards on girl and the differs in how the settle affects the plotRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1226 Words   |  5 Pagesconflict. Tim O brien s short story â€Å"The Things They Carried† follows a platoon named alpha company during the peak of the Vietnam war led by first lieutenant Jimmy Cross who is very charismatic but in his mind he is unsure how to lead his squad because his mind tends to wander to a thought of a girl back home. Throughout the story he has overcome with emotions and guilt because he believes he his the reason for some of his squadmates death. â€Å"The Things They Carried† Embodies the hardship, reality, andRead MoreSummary Of The Things They Carried 915 Words   |  4 PagesIn the story, The Things They Carried, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is a man who is in two forms of war, one that is in Vietnam, and one tha t is mental. Lieutenant Cross carried many things while in war. Lieutenant Cross did not just carry equipment, he also â€Å"carried the common secret of cowardice barley restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide, and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down, it required perfect balance and posture† (O’Brien, 1198). Read MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien999 Words   |  4 Pagesbecome a man as men server under him. Becoming a man with such unspeakable responsibilities at such a young age can emotionally test even the strongest man. An example, of this transformation is in the short story by Tim O’Brien called, â€Å"The Things They Carried.† It shows a young, First Lieutenant, in the Vietnam War named Jimmy Cross, and his journey to become a successful leader, but only after the death of one of his men. There must be order at all times, and Lt. Cross must become capable of settingRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien And Araby By James Joyce892 Words   |  4 Pagesboth pieces of literature â€Å"The Things They Carried† by Tim O’Brien and â€Å"Araby† by James Joyce. The authors portray the lives of two individuals who are in love. The idea of love concerning a girl and expectations on being with this girl they love. The authors in both texts demonstrate too us that love can be very hopeful, but it can emotionally and mentally change us. The authors assert to the reader attention in the literature â€Å"Araby† and â€Å" The Things They Carried† that love can be hopeful butRead More The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien Essay1103 Words   |  5 PagesThe Things They Carried by Tim OBrien â€Å"The Things They Carried† was a story about soldiers caught in the confusion of the Vietnam War. There are a lot of apparent themes that are dealt with when writing a story about war, especially about death. I enjoyed reading this story; however there were some things about it that I was concerned about. I would like to discuss the author’s style of writing, his meaning of the title â€Å"The Things They Carried† and the way the author and his characters deal