
Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried follows the story of a group of American soldiers during the Vietnam War.  The story shows the hardships that the soldiers endured overseas, such as the loss of their fellow men and the frustrations of not being able to be with their loved ones.  In research conducted about war in general and its effect on soldiers, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was a topic that was frequently mentioned.  When research was conducted specifically about the Vietnam War, a majority of the information provided was about how many Americans, including veterans, were against the war and fought hard to protest it.  However, there was also a fair amount of information about how many veterans of the Vietnam War felt that there were many misconceptions about the war.  After researching PTSD and the Vietnam War, it is evident that Tim O’Brien’s characters in The Things They Carried were inspired by knowledge about PTSD and information, and lack thereof, about war conditions. 

Defined as "an anxiety disorder that may develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which severe physical harm occurred or was threatened,” (Colman) PTSD is a disease that affects many soldiers who have returned from war.  Until 1980, PTSD was classified as a psychiatric disorder, but the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) re-classified it as an anxiety disorder.  This was prompted by a multitude of veterans from the Korean and Vietnam wars who showed delayed stress reactions, such as drug dependence and hallucinations, after returning home.  In fact, “it is estimated that 30 out of every 100 veterans who served in the Vietnam War have experienced PTSD in their lifetime,” (Colman) which means that of the approximate 9 million soldiers who served in Vietnam, about 30%, or 2.7 million of them, have experienced PTSD at some point.  Because there were so many veterans who experienced PTSD after returning home, it is apparent that their presence more than likely impacted Tim O’Brien’s ideas while he was writing The Things They Carried.

In Tim O’Brien’s story, which was written 10 years after the re-classification of PTSD, many of the characters begin to show early symptoms of PTSD.  For example, “PTSD primary symptoms include emotional numbing or withdrawal,” (Barber) which can be seen in Kiowa, who, although “wished he could find some great sadness, or even anger,” (O’Brien 337) could not find it in himself to experience either of those emotions.  Researcher Harold J. Bursztajn identifies traumatic events as prominent causes of PTSD and explains that “The [PTSD] patient must have suffered or witnessed an event "that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury,"” which is exhibited through the killing of Ted Lavender.  It is likely that Kiowa experienced this lack of emotion due to the trauma he suffered after learning about Lavender’s death.  Dealing with death is hard to begin with, but when it is the unexpected death of a close friend, dealing with the pain and emotions becomes even harder. 

Another character who exhibits early symptoms of PTSD is Ted Lavender.  As each soldier is introduced, the item that he is notorious for carrying is also introduced.  For Ted Lavender, that item is dope.  When it is revealed that dope is a necessity for Lavender, it becomes easier to link his drug dependence to signs of PTSD.  Research shows that “Among Vietnam veterans with PTSD, 60-80% exhibit concurrent substance abuse or dependence,” (Bursztajn) which could explain Lavender’s need for the drug.  Researcher Harold J. Bursztajn explains that Lavender’s dependence upon dope was likely caused by a desire to escape the pain of traumatic events such as the deaths of his fellow soldiers.  Likewise, when Lavender was killed, his comrades took his dope and smoked it themselves.  There were many casualties during the war and numerous soldiers looked towards drugs as a way to escape the pain caused by these deaths. 

The Vietnam War began as a result of United States reprisal in 1964 against the attack on two U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.  In retaliation, President Lyndon B. Johnson called for U.S. planes to drop bombs in North Vietnam.  This resulted in more bombings, which eventually became regular.  Many people questioned whether or not the bombings in North Vietnam were truly justified by the U.S. government’s intentions to free the people of South Vietnam from communism.  As a result of these bombings, the Vietnam War began and shortly thereafter, the antiwar movement began.  The movement originated mainly on college campuses, where Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized “teach-ins” to voice their concerns to others about the way the war was occurring.  By the end of 1965, many liberals, though a minority at the time, were beginning to voice their anti-war opinions.  

Though Tim O’Brien wrote The Things They Carried 15 years after the end of the Vietnam War, it is evident through the behaviors and actions of the characters that the anti-war movement still had a strong influence on the creation of the story.  War veteran William W. Stilwagen discusses how many misconceptions about war conditions were due to the images that protestors put in the public’s mind.  These images ranged anywhere from gory pictures of soldiers to unspeakable images of living conditions for the soldiers.  He explains that there are “stories that people like to believe and it's very hard to change that,” (Crescenti) meaning that many people have misconstrued ideas about the conditions that the soldiers endured in Vietnam. Some of these ideas are even present in The Things They Carried.  As O’Brien describes the “swamps” that Lieutenant Jimmy Cross had to walk through, Stilwagen explains that “nobody lived in the jungle,” and that “most of the fighting in Vietnam took place in the forests,” (Crescenti) contrary to popular belief.  It is easy to see how society’s misconceptions about the conditions in Vietnam during the war shaped Tim O’Brien’s writing of The Things They Carried.  

With prior knowledge and information about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and various misconceptions about the Vietnam War, it becomes evident that both of these things played a large role in the creation of the characters and storyline of The Things They Carried.  Early symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder were seen in characters such as Kiowa and Ted Lavender.  Kiowa’s early signs of PTSD, which included the inability to feel any emotions, were likely caused by the death of his comrade, Ted Lavender.  On the other hand, Ted Lavender’s early signs of PTSD, such as dependence upon drugs, were likely caused by the deaths of his other comrades.  Many of the American public’s views about the conditions of the Vietnam War were in some ways misconstrued.  Vietnam War veteran William W. Stilwagen talks about how the public often believes these misconstrued stories and how it can be hard to change their perceptions and beliefs about what it was truly like to be overseas.  With these factors playing into the time period when The Things They Carried was written, it is easy to see how they both played a large role in shaping the creation of Tim O’Brien’s characters and storylines. 

 