In the narrative, The Things They Carried, Author Tim O’Brien uses historical and cultural elements to better communicate his message to the readers. The hardships of The Vietnam war as well as the grievances of the soldiers who fought For the United States is the central theme of O’Brien’s narrative. Tim O’Brien incorporates Historical and cultural elements to present a story of a group of troops and their leader serving in the Vietnam war. Many mental burdens such as hate, lack of morality, false bravery, and guilt, along with physical burdens such as over encumberment, injury, and strenuous tasks are placed upon the troops in Tim O’Brien’s narrative as a reflection of the cultural mentality and history of the Vietnam war era. Many Physical burdens such as the sheer weight of the items the soldiers lugged around and the type of equipment is an outcome of the period in history the narrative is presented in. In the same manner, emotional distress of the troops is a direct reflection of the ideals and desires that people who served in the Vietnam war possessed, as well as the mentality of the citizens of the United States. The opposition to the war, distant lovers, and the anti-war sentiment expressed by the people of the U.S are many of the primary causes of the emotional hardship faced by the characters in Tim O’Brien’s narrative. 

The Physical requirements of participating in a war are no meager provisions. “A solider must be ready to withstand hours of gut wrenching physical tasks,” according to Vietnam veteran, Jack Cunningham and his journal, surrender was not an option, It is for this reason that Tim O’Brien decides to highlight the physical tasks the troops had to go through in his narrative. Objects such as, “M-60 machine guns…M-79 grenade launcher, 5.9 pounds unloaded…20 pounds of ammunition,” (O’Brien 330) are commonly carried by the troops. The description the narrator of the Story provides of the various objects carried around by the American troops emphasizes the particularly challenging task the troops are obligated to complete. Modern day equipment and weaponry render most of the tools the soldiers used as obsolete. The author describes the tangible objects carried by the troops in detail to show the historical significance in the things they carried. The Authors primary purpose of such definitive descriptions of the objects endured by the soldier is to draw a connection between the weight of the equipment and the historical context from which its derived. Tools such as “PRC-77 scrambler radio, which weighed 30 pounds with its battery” (O’Brien 335), are introduced by O’Brien to provide readers with a better understanding of the magnitude of physical tasks demanded from the soldiers. 

Emotional distress is heavily experienced by squad leader First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, and is troops. Jimmy often fantasizes about a distant lover named Martha, “…He would imagine romantic camping trips into the White Mountains in New Hampshire” (O’Brien 328). Jack Cunningham exemplifies emotional stress in Vietnam troops, in the same way Tim O’Brien describes his own emotional encumberment.  As Jack exclaims in his journal “…it was also around this time that I heard about the Kent states deaths…All for nothing…no one really cared…the fear of dying for nothing…is the ugliest fear of all…I hated people back home more than the communist…” (Jack), reveals frustration within the young veteran’s mind. A historical understanding of the anti-Vietnam war protests by peace activist in the late 1960s provides insight to the frustration Jack Cunningham experiences. As proven by research conducted by Doug McAdams and Yang Su there were many American citizens in opposition to the Vietnam war.  In accordance with Doug McAdams article “The war at home: Antiwar protests and congressional voting 1965 to 1973” the Unites States initiated its involvement with Vietnam in 1964 while “… a visible antiwar movement only coalesced the following year” (McAdams 4). A primary source of the emotional distress experienced by the soldiers in Tim O’Brien’s narrative is acknowledged by the historical context of the antiwar sentiment expressed by the citizens of the United States.

 Similarly, the historical context of the Vietnam war era confirms a false sense of bravery the soldier’s in O’Brien’s narrative have. The gruesome, and frightful diction Tim O’Brien uses to describe the characteristics of the Vietnam war exemplifies the emotional difficulties that the protagonists face. As the author incorporates details of the soldier’s personalities he states, “…They carried the common secret of cowardice…” (O’Brien 338), this reveals that the men were obligated to be act brave while participating in a war that is historically known as one of the bloodiest wars in the 20th century. Furthermore, the gruesome descriptions of war presented by Tim O’Brien show the emotional lack of morality forced upon the troops in Vietnam.  “…Norman Bowker…. carried a thumb that had been presented to him as a gift by Mitchell Sanders…. It had been cut from a VC corpse…” (O’Brien 334). The indignant nature of the way soldiers treated the corpse of their enemy shows a lack or moral in most people’s understanding. Many of the characters in Tim O’Brien’s narrative “The Things They Carried” are encumbered by the emotional burden of a guilty conscience. As lieutenant Jimmy Cross witnesses the death of a squad mate, feelings of guilt begin to consume his emotions. The negligence of the lieutenant to pay more attention to his squad mates then a distant lover is the dominant cause of guilt in the young soldier’s mind.  Lieutenant Cross, “… Felt shame. He hated himself. He had loved Martha more than is men, and as a consequently Lavender was now dead…” (O’Brien 336).  A Parallel example of the grievances experienced by Lieutenant Cross is the real example of the hardship Jack Cunningham faced in his time at home once he returned to Vietnam. As jack describes his treatment at home the historical context of his journal as well as Tim O’Brien’s narrative is revealed. In his journal Jack states, “… In February 1971 when I returned home, besides the…questions…of how many babies did I have to kill and how many villages did I have to burn down…” (Jack).  The clear opposition and disrespect of the very people the soldiers in Vietnam were aiming to defend, shows the historical connection of the emotional discomfort and guilt that is experienced by both Jack Cunningham and Lieutenant Jimmy Cross.   

To better depict the specific historical period of the narrative Tim O’Brien attempts to reach out to an older aged audience by incorporating allusions such as the movie Bonnie and Clyde. The Cultural allusion of the historically popular Bonnie and Clyde allows the audience to personally connect a popular movie and group of characters with a young period in their lifetimes. The narrator of, the things they carried, uses Jimmy Cross when, “…He remembered, and the movie was Bonnie and Clyde…” (O’Brien 329), to apply his emotional connection to the movie along with the audience. 

The narrative written by Tim O’Brien, the things they carried, is effective in demonstrating to the audience the physical and mental obstacles the U.S soldiers had to face while serving in the Vietnam war. By applying examples of tangible objects the troops carried the settings historical period contributes to the sympathetic mood that is established in the narrative. With an understanding of the historical significance of the equipment used one can draw the conclusion that the task of carrying such equipment is no easy task. Moreover, the emotional state of the soldiers is incorporated by the author to reflect the cultural significance of the mindset people possessed in that time. Feelings of frustration experienced by the soldiers are expressed thus for the opposition many people in the United States had towards the war. 
