“the Things They Carried”

“the Things They Carried”

“The Things They Carried” spoke about the homecoming of soldiers to America. All of the soldiers made up the Alpha Company. Tim O'Brien, the narrator, has the same name as the author. They're anticipating the start of the Vietnam War. Alpha Company is a major group who served their time and duties while they left loved ones behind.
A girl named Martha gives letters to Lieutenant Cross. In Vietnam, he carries them with him. The soldiers packed guns, knives, and water. Ted Lavender always carried tranquilizers because of fear. Important items were carried by these soldiers to help with survival.
Henry Dobbins was a hygienist who supplied everyone with a toothbrush. O'Brien portrays the war experience and outcomes as if he left the war. He thought he'd be looked down on by his family if he joined the war. He would look like a coward if he didn't. O'Brien didn't know what else to think or do.
O' Brien sees a dead soldier and it scares him. He killed the soldier, but that wasn't his main thought. He thought about the number of casualties that could occur, including himself. Events of the death kind of shocked him. He didn't want his family to lose him.
“The Man I Killed” offered a huge shift in the focus of the war. It shows how O'Brien can let the death of other soldiers easily get to him. He feels guilty about how he watched the soldier die. Vietnamese characters are limited. They're not mention a lot, because they are the audience of the war.

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