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The Things They Carried Analysis Essay The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the novel The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien.   Specifically it will contain a brief analysis of the first chapter of the book.   OBriens use of metaphors of weight and lightness throughout the story develops the readers understanding of the situation the soldiers in the story find themselves in. Author OBrien fought in Vietnam and so he writes about the men and the war from experience, and it shows in this moving novel.    The opening chapter, The Things They Carried, introduces the men, and allows the reader a glimpse into the real, everyday war these young men fought in Vietnam.   Twice within the first few pages OBrien talks about the death of Ted Lavender while contrasting his death with the lightness of the things he carried with him in his rucksack. OBrien uses the metaphor of humped to show the weight of the things the soldiers carry, but he also uses it to show the emotional baggage they carry with them into the war, such as Jimmys Cross unreturned love for Martha back home.   OBrien writes of Jimmys love, Almost everyone humped photographs.   In his wallet, Lieutenant Cross carried two pictures of Martha (OBrien 4).   Later, he uses the metaphor again when he writes of Lieutenant Cross responsibility to his men. He writes, He carried a strobe light and the responsibility for the lives of his men (OBrien 5).   OBrien makes the weight of these responsibilities seem light, but uses the metaphor to show how weighty they really are.   Clearly, Cross quite understands the weight of his responsibility, and he does not take it lightly.   He knows his men trust him with their lives, and if he makes the wrong decision his men could pay the ultimate cost, they could give up their lives because he makes a mistake.   And that is the ultimate weight that rests on Lieutenant Cross, and it is much heavier than his rucksack. OBrien spends a lot of time on the guns and ammo they carried and the weight of these items.   That is because the soldiers lives depend on these items, which gives them additional weight in the story.   Showing the amount of ammo and other items they carry also shows their fear and some of the conditions they faced as soldiers in Vietnam.   Their situation is far from light, it is very heavy, and they know it. Any of them could die at any moment.   The Vietnamese knew the jungles and the terrain and the Americans did not.   They could be surprised and ambushed at any time.   OBrien shows the soldiers fear in the large amount of weapons and ammo they carry, and also shows they do not actually mean much.   Ted Lavender dies carrying more ammo than anyone else, so the weight of the ammo did nothing to help him save his own life.   That is the fear all the men face – that they have no control over the situation around them, and any of them could die, just like Lavender did. Most important of the things they carry is the weight of memory OBrien talks about in the chapter and notes that is one weight they share.   They cannot forget many of the horrible things they have seen, or that they could be the next one.   They cannot forget their situation because it is the only reality they know for now. That is also too weighty for some of them, so they make jokes about their predicament and try to escape by drinking, using drugs, or thinking about memories back home.   Jimmy Cross has his false memories of Martha that he carries with him, and all the others have memories of something, too.   These memories can weigh the men down if they let them.   Cross thinks his memories helped get Lavender killed because he was not paying attention. OBrien also uses descriptive language to show their surroundings.   He writes, They carried the sky.   The whole atmosphere, they carried it, the humidity, the monsoons, the stink of fungus †¦ (OBrien 15).   OBrien puts the reader right into the jungle with the men.   Using metaphor, description, and language, he makes the reader feel the fear of the men and feel as if they know and understand these men and the things they carry.    References OBrien Tim. The Things They Carried