The Vietnam war was a disaster for the United States, leaving the vulnerable area of South Vietnam unstable, and over 50,000 United States deaths. Many of these men became homeless, who usually struggled with a mental disorder known as PTSD. Vietnam took American lives, and a modern equivalent of over 1.5 trillion dollars. In Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” he speaks from the first person to describe his experience in the war. His focus isn’t exactly what happened, but literally what each of the soldiers in his platoon would carry. O’Brien gets very specific from the necessities to recreational items one might carry.  Others carried paper to write loved ones, some carried marijuana to help escape a harsh reality. The symbolism behind the emphasis of weight also alludes to the figurative weight soldiers were carrying. Many people protested the war, this negative perception lead to a negative biased against our purpose in Vietnam along with the lack of pride to keep fighting. Tim O’Brien describes his story in a way that traps a historical vision and culture into the eyes of a modern-day reader.

  In “The Things They Carried” author Tim O’Brien spoke in depth of the routines, responsibilities, gear carried, and horrors seen by these soldiers. The daily life of a soldier was filled with stress and fear. In my first anecdote, Adams struggled to find peace in his life, and felt only guilt. He spoke that during the war, everyone had a burden they were carrying. Some men had a family or girlfriend, others had little brothers, some just had their moms. These soldiers brought this burden with them everywhere they went. Similarly, in “The Things They Carried”, Jimmy Cross carried his letters of Martha with him everywhere he went; until he burned them. After blaming himself for the death of one of the members in his squad, he burned this letters as a symbol that he now hated this woman. “He felt shame. He hated himself. He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry in his stomach for the rest of the war”(O’Brien, 336). Cross began to feel what is known as “survivors guilt”. Many soldiers blamed themselves for the deaths of others, and destroyed themselves with the shame. More than any other war, this disorder plagued many veterans who made it home. O’Brien showing a man with survivor’s guilt in the war shows that it was a common theme for many people, so the reader can realize the many struggles these soldiers had.

In the Vietnam War thousands of young lives were lost over virtually no gain at all. In most tales of the war, the undertone is usually a depressing one. The writing style of authors speaking of the war were heavily influenced by the fact America lost. If there was some miraculous ending with America saving South Vietnam with minimal casualties, it would have been a different story. Protests sprang up, and American citizens were outraged at the atrocities happening across the world. When reading any kind of Vietnam story, my immediate impression is a negative undertone. This is due to the fact nothing was gained from the war, and it is also America’s sole “loss” in any war. It is an embarrassing topic, with little to no positives that came from it. In a piece from Gregory Miller’s story of his time serving in Vietnam, he speaks of struggles coming from the home front as well. “It was almost a lose lose situation, not even your own country was supporting you” (Miller, 02). These soldiers fighting in the war were seen almost as some kind of enemy. O’Brien, a veteran himself, shows throughout the story that these were normal men, with normal emotions and feelings. The American people, especially towards the end of the war, gave no appreciation or cheer towards the soldiers. There was no warm homecoming, just more anger. Many American citizens have a profound understanding of at least the basics of the Vietnam war. They know the negative connotation that belongs to it. This pre-existing knowledge enables the tone before even reading a story about the war. In the modern day, soldiers are revered as heroes. O’Brien works to connect with the reader and allow them to understand the circumstance of the war was out of their control.  

Through the war and soon after, a mental disorder known as post-traumatic stress disorder ruined the lives of many soldiers. The form of anxiety is caused by a terrifying event, which would trigger flashbacks of horrible things these soldiers may have seen. The symptoms include flashbacks, frequent nightmares, and severe anxiety, over a third of Vietnam soldiers who served were diagnosed with PTSD. Seeing or doing things in war attack the minds of people, and leave vivid memories that turn into nightmares. When Ted Lavender was killed, Rat Kiley was one of the first to respond. “The guy’s dead. The guys dead. He’s really gone.” (O’Brien, 336). Just about every soldier that entered Vietnam had never seen someone die, especially not in the manner many of the soldiers saw. Along with the minimal benefits and no education, the homecoming of these soldiers was a terrible experience. It became extremely difficult to get a job, and many soldiers became homeless and turning to drugs or alcohol to numb the reality. This piece of the story is important to the text because PTSD was a huge part of the Vietnam War. Many people struggled with the disorder, and served a huge role in the perception of war to Americans. O’Brien doesn’t provide how these men were after the war, but statistically speaking a lot of them would have gotten the disorder. 

Entering a war was an act of bravery, and courage. Soldier’s in America are revered as heroes; alive and dead. For the heavily protested Vietnam war, soldiers already had little to no pride in what they were doing. In addition to that, people were also there for the wrong reasons. O’Brien writes about how the fear of shame was a main motivator for these men. “It was what brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor. They died so as not to die of embarrassment” (O’Brien, 331). All this does not sound like an American Soldier's ideals, or mindset. For a modern reader, this is not what many expected from these soldiers. No pride, and a strong fear of shame is not typically what people think when hearing about the United States army. 

For most Americans, the Vietnam War is a sensitive subject. For the brave soldiers who served, their return home left them with little benefits and a minimal education. The era of Vietnam led to a divided country, and didn’t help the United States or Vietnam. For future authors, many would write in the tone of how the war was perceived; negatively. In “The Things they Carried” it was easy for the reader to understand the negative tone, and sad endings to many little stories throughout. Author And narrator Tim O’Brien uses motifs such as physical and emotional burdens. He writes the story to a modern audience in a way that allows them to feel extremely engaged in the text. The constant repetition of the weight of equipment lets the reader remember physical items aren’t the only heavy things they may be carrying. Through both short anecdotes I read both men served in the Vietnam war, and could deliver first-hand accounts of the lifestyle, hardships, and reality of what it was like. Both Mike Adams and Gregory Miller have a large influence in their writing because of the actual experience. The cultural influence in addition to the presence of being in Vietnam allows the text to provide its own symbols. The twenty-year era of the war has so many different elements that allow authors who write about the war to show each part in their text. For Vietnam, any text made after the war will have influence from the time it went, the personal stories and lives lost, and the harsh reality on the other side of the world.
