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Essay On O 'Brien's The Things They Carried'

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M2A1: Illustration Essay Applying a Literary Theory to an Assigned Story Timothy Sibley ENG102 02/04/2018 I’ve chose to analyze the many themes evident in “The Things They Carried” (O’Brien, 1990) using the reader-response literary theory with a psychoanalytical approach. In the shorty story the men at war carry a plethora of items with them, both figuratively and literally. Aside from the necessities of war i.e., weapons, protective gear, and medical bags, soldiers carry with them trinkets and items from home that remind them of what they will hopefully return to. While at war there are certain aspects soldiers silently carry with them as well. Emotional feelings such as love, longing, purpose, terror, and grief are also on their minds. The emotional burden men carry outweighs the physical burden during wartime. Lieutenant Cross carries maps and compasses and the responsibility of protecting the …show more content…

Reputation and respect is evident in The Things They Carried and is clearly a side effect of the emphasis put on friendship and weakness within Lieutenant Cross’s group of soldiers. Soldiers dislike weakness and fear being known as weak. In order to maintain their friendships protecting their reputations is a necessity. Although the main theme appears to the reader to be one of love the underlining theory is truly about friendship and the bond the soldiers share between each other. Girlfriends come and go and the soldiers fighting for “love of country” seems farfetched considering the circumstances. Although soldiers’ friendships are often based on foolishness and are a love/hate relationship only those soldiers who spend countless hours together and experience war together truly know each other and what they are going through. The bonds they form are stronger than what they would experience back home with loved

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