Booby-traps, landmines, and the constant fear of enemy attack are merely a few of the horrors American soldiers endured during the Vietnam war.  Simply taking one step through the Vietnam jungles, may land oneself in a swallow pit where bamboo spears turn one’s body into Swiss Cheese.  However, some soldiers physically survived the war; the survivors are the reason some have an idea of what is was like to be fighting in Vietnam. One such soldier is Tim O’Brien.  When reading “The Things We Carried” by Tim O’Brien, paying attention to the historical time period of the Vietnam War, exposes the reader to O’Brien’s detached perspective.  O’Brien urges the reader to better understand war veterans using the truth hidden in Lieutenant Crosse’s story. 

To fully grasp O’Brien’s message, one must have some back ground about the time period of the described in “The Things We Carried”.  At the height of the Cold War, the American government issued a draft randomly selecting men and requiring them to enlist in the United States Military.  Many of the men were shipped overseas to combat communist movements in regions/countries like Vietnam.  The sending of American soldiers to fight communist groups in Vietnam was an extremely controversial action.  It was not widely accepted by the American public, nor by the soldiers who were drafted.  Many of the men who found themselves in Vietnam lacked the commonly inherent pride and honor for a soldier’s cause.  Furthermore, there was an excessive number of the soldiers who could not fathom why they were invading the homes of the innocent in a foreign land.  The rationale behind the Vietnam conflict is still debated in modern times but, there is no debating what American soldiers experienced when they lived through it.

O’Brien takes advantage of his unique point of view in “The Things They Carried”.  Being a Vietnam Veteran allows him to provide insight that others cannot; he connects his memories with the fictional character, Lieutenant Cross.  However, Obrien does not write “The Things They Carried” as a historical account but as a way to display the truth.  O’Brien wants the reader to step into war and grasp the pain that Cross feels.  Cross’s blunt and numb descriptions of death display the hardened mentality caused by was.  Cross and his men are numb to death because it is their reality. When “Ted Lavender was shot, they used his poncho to wrap him up, then to carry him across the paddy, then to lift him into the chopper” (O’Brien 329).  Like clockwork.  The death of a fellow soldier is just part of life in Vietnam. The reader unmistakably questions Crosse’s minute description of his friend’s death but is also moved.  O’Brien “makes the” reader’s “stomach believe” (Chen 1) when talking about death.  Crosse’s attitude concerning death is extremely foreign to those who are not numb to war, which inherently forces the reader to attempt to walk in the shoes of Veterans.  Many of the men described in “The Things They Carried” do not desire to live in a reality of everyday death.  However, they all choose to cope with their hardships in order to survive.

Cross and his men “hump” not only their gear but also their heavy minds.  Cross carries his love for Martha even “though he knew better” (O’Brien 329).  Martha does not love Cross but she is imperative for Crosse’s early survival in Vietnam.  As Cross Hikes through the jungles, his mind is not focused on possible enemy attack.  He clings to the hope of Martha’s love in order to remain sane.  Cross thinks only of his love Martha.  He believes he loves her “more than anything, more than his men” (O’Brien 331) justifying his actions.  O’Brien believes that “The ability to manufacture order out of seeming chaos is important” for “psychological well-being” (McCaffery 143) O’Brien displays his opinion through Cross and his love for Martha; without Martha there is only death and Chaos in Crosse’s life. The atrocities of war cause a disconnect between Crosse’s mind and his body; he is physically in Vietnam but mentally home with Martha.  “Every war seems formless to the men fighting it” (McCaffery135) because, like Cross, the psyches of soldiers are elsewhere.  It is not until returning home that their minds drift to the death and killing they experienced.  Once home a soldier cannot cease the mental replaying of his experiences in war. 

O’Brien alludes to the after effects of war through his use of repetition.  In “The Things They Carried” the phrase “where things came together bus also separate” (O’Brien 331) is repeated multiple times.  By considering the normality of Vietnam Veterans developing PTSD, the reader sees the message behind the phrase.  When men return home from war they are “together” with their loved ones but are dramatically changed and may never be completely home in their minds.  Furthermore, O’Brien repeats the phrase to symbolize the constant reoccurring memories and visions that plague many veterans.  O’Brien once stated in an interview that “Once a soldier is in battle, the rational and moral faculties tend to diminish.  All we can hope for is that these faculties don’t fail entirely” (McCaffery 135).  When a soldier’s morals cease to exist, he will most likely feel “separate” from home for the rest of his life.  In “The Things They Carried”, O’Brien calls attention to post war hardships with hopes of improving the awareness of the reader.  O’Brien is a veteran and therefore understands what soldiers endure post war.  He feels that informing the reader may help improve the transition period for veterans in the future.

By considering the historical context surrounding the Vietnam War, it becomes clear that Tim O’Brien, the author of “The Things We Carried”, portrays aspects of his experiences and values through Lieutenant Cross.  Doing so invokes the reader to more intimately understand and sympathize for veterans.  O’Brien has lived through the horrors of war and the after effects.  He has seen the stigma and lack of understanding from those around him.  He has made himself vulnerable by writing “The Things We Carried”.  Now, through Lieutenant Cross O’Brien calls his reader’s to consider what war veterans have witnessed… hoping to improve the lives of those who have served.
