Things They Carried Theme Essay

A college student has just received some very troubling news. His mother was involved in a serious accident and is now under critical condition in the hospital. The student, knowing that he never had good relations with his family in the past, does not want to go visit his mom in the hospital because he not only is very busy during the next few days, but also does not think that it is worth the time off as he is more than 1,000 miles away from home. However, on the other hand, the student’s best friends are all pressuring him to go visit his mom. Pondering in the dormitory room for several hours, the student has many things to consider. In the end the pressure becomes too great for the student to handle, so he ultimately does the right thing and visits his mom. This is a prime example of shame and what it can do to people. It motivates people to do things they normally would not do. Without coincidence, it is one of the most critical themes of Tim O’Brien’s The Things

One of those themes is shame, and the story very clearly shows how shame leads people to face their fears and do things they do not want to do. For instance, Curt Lemon feels embarrassed for being afraid of the dentist for so many years, so he relieves that by having a perfect tooth removed. Additionally, the author himself wanted to avoid going to war even after being drafted, but after feeling the shame of being viewed as a coward, he submits. The feeling of shame not only helps people overcome their fears, but also moves people to do what they believe is morally right. Oftentimes, even if someone is afraid of something, he/she knows that facing what he/she is afraid of is the right thing to do. Specifically, one might be afraid of war like Tim O’Brien, but he/she also knows that going to fight in the war is morally the right thing to do, and the feeling of shame is the key factor in getting people to do the right