Literary research paper on The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien Essay

Literary research paper on The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien - Essay ExampleThis paper is a reflection of the literary analysis and in depth meanings of the characters and the circumstances they were thrust into. A number of famous stories make up the confines of the pages of this book these include characters that keep reappearing all now and then. Each and every character is a justification towards some or the other feeling that every man suffers in his lifetime. For example, the main protagonist, Tim, is a soldier who finally admits that he was responsible for the death of Kiowa, tries to explain to others, and believes that not everything is explicable. This book is an amalgamation of the agreeable of experiences he sh ared with other soldiers. Jimmy loanblend is a lieutenant and the platoon leader in the short story of the same title as the main book, The Things They Carried, and is also blamed for the death of Kiowa, a religious religious Christian soldier. Ted Lavende r is one of the first to die in the book he was a soldier with true grit but consume marijuana and contained a great amount of anxiousness regarding what would happen next in the War. (Rafferty, Rebecca) The Things They Carried is a story full of symbolism in this particular tale, OBrien has marked a very vivid description of all the objects that the various soldiers carry with them. Incidentally, all these objects help the reader to understand the kind of people the soldiers are and the kind of relationship they share with others roughly them. He has written about Lavenders obsession with tranquilizers and marijuana, Dobbins need to carry his girlfriends pantyhose around his neck as well as his extra rations, and Kiowa carrying a copy of the New Testament at all times. All this imagery helps to provide a stark understanding to the reader as per the needs and priorities of the soldiers. OBrien has also described the kind of burden each man carries on his shoulders in the contrive of memories from their personal lives, for example, the lieutenants obsession with Martha back home leaves him feeling very disgruntled and regretful. These thoughts eventually leave him questioning and wondering about Marthas virginity and this eventually leads to distractions and death He also carried maps and compasses, giving a picture of the true leader that he was, always looking out for his soldiers. (Department) Physical objects care machine guns, M-16 rifles, grenade launchers and tents help to depict the harsh reality they were surviving in. Thus, with the use of these physical objects that the soldiers require during their stay in the War, the author has tried to explain the kind of dilemma they were being made to choose between fantasy and reality. Cross begins to question himself for the death of Lavender and wonders whether or not it was his fault and negligence towards his profession because of his dark fantasizing about Martha that led him astray. (Moore, Julie) A literal meaning of the title and the background that the soldiers are in, the story speaks of a cross join between contend and war. It tries to reflect, with the use of the everyday objects that each of the soldiers used (that made up their personalities) how it was unconditional but one sided love for someone that gave way to waging another war. This is a changeover from Cross