Emotional Burdens Soldiers Must Carry in The Things They Carried Essay

Emotional Burdens Soldiers Must Carry

Tim OBriens The Things They Carried

One of the most ignored aspects in the daily life of a soldier is the emotional weight they carry. In The Things they Carried, Tim OBrien tells a compelling story about the feelings and experiences of young soldiers in the Vietnam War. They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing-these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight(OBrien 126). OBrien shows us, the emotional burdens that the soldiers experience is far greater than the physical torture they must undergo to stay alive.

The mental burden that carries the most weight on the hearts of the soldiers is terror. This came from many different things. The horrified young men are continuously troubled by the fear that they might die in the war. Ted Lavenders death and the reaction of the soldiers illustrate its impact on the young men. In the story, Lavenders death is portrayed as being like a rock fall, or a big sandbag or something (119). Throughout the story, Lavenders death is repeated many times to show recurrence in order to demonstrate the fear in the soldiers. The fear of death consistently goes throughout their head as they await their destiny.

While the men are disturbed by terror, they are also troubled mentally by doubt. It is not unusual for men at war to be filled with doubt. For example, they are not sure whether they will die or not. Throughout the story, the soldiers wondered what the significance of the war was. They marched for the sake of the march and without purpose(124). Through the emotions of the soldiers, OBrien demonstrates to the reader the doubts they have about the war. This uncertainty as to why the men are fighting this war causes feelings of doubt in their minds. It becomes harder for the crew to endure the pain of the emotional burdens when the reason for their fighting is unidentified.

In addition, another emotional burden besides terror that is consistently on the minds of the soldiers is responsibility. Lieutenant Cross is the best example of a soldier loaded not only with physical objects, but also with emotional things such as responsibility. Since he is the leader of his battalion, Cross is responsible for all of the soldiers lives. Crosss obsession with Martha leads to the death of Ted Lavender, and he must go through that pain of guilt throughout the war. OBrien writes, He had loved Martha more than his men(124).Due to his lack of responsibility, Cross blames himself for the death of Lavender. To try to end the agony of guilt, Cross decides to burn the photos and letters Martha had sent him. He must forget about Martha and carry the weight of all of his men on his soldiers. This responsibility is one of the heaviest burdens that Cross has to carry.

Last but not least, another emotional burden that the men cling to is the desire to be with loved ones back home. During the Vietnam War, many young men were forced to leave their girlfriends, wives, families and the comfort of their homes to fight in a doubtful war. Many of them carried items to remind them of their loved ones. To carry something was to hump it, as when Lieutenant Jimmy Cross humped his love for Martha up the hills and through the swamps(118). Cross carried letters from Martha and her good luck pebble in his mouth. Also, Henry Dobbins carries his girlfriends pantyhose. He keeps them tied around his neck for good luck. This symbolizes his love for his girlfriend. Furthermore, in the story, Martha occupies much of Crosss mind which puts a heavy burden on his heart. Thus, Cross is face with the reality of war and remembers Martha as a way to ease the load that he is carrying.

No matter how many emotional burdens a soldier carries into war, he will have to carry more emotional weight than the actual physical load they must carry during the war. All of the examples that OBrien uses, helps the reader to understand the many emotions that a soldier carries to war is far greater than the physical pain they must suffer. Whether an individual is referring to the Vietnam War or another horrific fighting, a good number would lean towards emotional burdens when the physical and emotional belongings are put on a scale.