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How Is The Theme Of Weight Presented In The Things They Carried

1025 Words5 Pages

Haydon Klase

Mrs. Kathy Kisner

English III

12 May 2023

Mental Vs Physical in The Things They Carried

In Tim O'Brien's novel "The Things They Carried," the weight that each character carries serves as the mental burdens of love and guilt that they bear. Through a series of interconnected short stories, O'Brien explores the thoughts of soldiers during the Vietnam War, highlighting the emotional and psychological toll that their experiences have on them. By using the physical weight of the items that the soldiers carry as a tangible representation of their emotional baggage, O'Brien vividly depicts the complex interplay between love, guilt, and the trauma of war.

One character who embodies this motif of weight is Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. He carries a pebble in his mouth, a good-luck charm given to him by Martha, a girl he loves back home. The pebble represents the weight of his love for Martha and the guilt he feels for being distracted by …show more content…

For example, O’Brien describes the physical weight of the items soldiers carry, such as guns, ammunition, and grenades. However, he also describes the emotional weight of the war, writing, “They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing – these were intangible yet had their own mass and specific gravity” (O’Brien 21). This quote illustrates how the soldiers, not only carry physical objects, but also the emotional weight of their experiences in the war. Furthermore, this story depicts “the weight of burdens that press on soldiers in the field and how they handle those burdens” (Farrell). The weight of the soldiers' items also serves as a reminder of the soldiers who were lost in battle. O'Brien writes, "They shared the weight of memory" (O'Brien, 14). The weight of the soldiers' items is not only a physical burden, but also a mental one. Each item carries memories of those who were

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