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Symbolism In The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

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The short story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien is a snapshot of the daily life of a US soldier’s during the Vietnam War. O’Brien introduces us to a group of men and gives us a small glimpse into the hardships during the conflict. The title gives us an idea of the story content, the things the soldiers carry are not just the items in their rucksack, but also the weight of their fear, guilt, and desperation. Mr. O’Brien uses many literary devices in hi story including symbolism.

One example of O’Brien’s use of symbolism in “The Things They Carried” is his description of the pebble sent to First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross by a girl back home. The pebble is described as “milky white with flecks of orange and violet” (p433). These colors bring to mind the colors vividly displayed during a napalm strike. The white of the flash and the orange and violet sparks were an all too common sight during the Vietnam War and the imagery would be hard to forget.

The egglike shape of the pebble symbolizes the youth and inexperience of many of the soldiers in the conflict. Many of the soldiers were little more than boys when they left home to fight in a new and hostile place. The egg also represents the fragile state of the …show more content…

She describes the setting as “separate but together – precisely where the land touched the water, where “things came together but were also separated. This “separate-but-together” quotation describes many of the situations faced by the soldiers. They were separate from their homes and loved ones but still together through letters and their memories. They were separate individuals but must perform as one tight knit group in order to have the best chance of surviving the war. The soldiers all had separate thoughts and dreams but were banded together by the hope of returning home to the United

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