As foot soldiers drudge along the battlefield carrying pounds of baggage, the war feels like it could go on forever. In Tim O’Brien’s short story, The Things They Carried, the reader is able to envision how a group of soldiers is able to get through the Vietnam War, sanity included. The leader of the group, Jimmy Cross, is constantly reminded of his loved one by carrying trinkets to associate with her. A sudden death of one of the soldiers in the platoon makes him reevaluate his priorities. In addition, if the reader has a clear understanding of the cultural context behind the story, the reader can apprehend each characters’ behaviors, feelings, and social expectations. To gain a comprehensible perspective of the short story, the reader should know some background information such as the effects of PTSD or the Vietnam War. 

According to the article “Vietnam War” by Joseph Buzzanco from John Hopkins University Press, the Vietnam War impacted many innocent lives and is considered one of the most conflict-ridden battles in history. It not only impacted veterans fighting in Vietnam, but also daring protestors who disapprove all warfare in the mainland. The war began with America’s goal to disband the Nationalist-Communist government in Indochina. Eventually, the US enforced all their military efforts to operate “Rolling Thunder” where they bombed local villages injuring and killing all Vietnamese locals. While Vietnamese citizens suffered immensely, bystanders in the U.S. gathered all their efforts in protest of anti-war, in which the majority of protestors were college students. Many colleges supported the public’s cry to stop the war which then expanded so much publicity that many distinguished politicians and figures began to take notice. When President Nixon authorized the “Paris Peace Accords,” it declared the end of the prolonged gruesome war. After the war ended, it heavily influenced many global policies in the future. Even though U.S. goal of disbanding the Nationalist-Communist party failed, many sought change for the better. It also instigated Vietnamese citizens to begin a new life in the U.S. which immensely increased the Vietnamese population. Mostly immigrating to the west coast, many Viet families are able to culturally mold their practices into the lives of people in the U.S. Most people affected by the war has changed for the better. The immigrants developed their own new chapter in life but will never forget Vietnam, a place they originally call home. 

After gaining an understanding of the Vietnam War, the reader can use that knowledge to defend their interpretation of Tim O’Brien’s work, The Things They Carried. The reader can even use the text to support the article so that he/she can gain a veteran’s heart wrenching perspective. There were many unfortunate bombings that took place so imagine the horrendous and disastrous events that the soldiers and those affected in Vietnam have to endure. The historical background mentioned in the article can also develop a soldier’s feelings of abandonment and stress while in battle. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, the leader of the group of soldiers in the short story, experiences the feeling of abandonment and stress as he is longing for Martha, his significant other, “He imagined bare feet.  Martha was a poet, with the poet’s sensibilities, and her feet would be brown and bare, the toenails unpainted, the eyes chilly and somber like the ocean in March, and though it was painful, he wondered who had been with her” (O’Brien 332). The excerpt describes Lieutenant Cross reminiscing Martha’s appearance and personality. He also wondered who had been filling the empty space beside Martha while he was away.  Since all veterans travel away from home, one can understand the troubles of being far away and worrying about a soldier’s family and friends back at home. 

Long before the Vietnam War, PTSD was not considered as a medical condition or illness to affecting soldiers. As stated in the article “Combat Trauma” published from the Oxford University Press, combat trauma, a similar name for PTSD, was considered to be a disruption in a soldier’s expertise. The government did not recognize its effects until the beginning of WWI when British officials diagnosed veterans with having been “shell shocked”.  PTSD was slowly gaining awareness after the American Legion welcomed back those affected unto the norms of society. As soon as WWII began, numbers of those with the mental illness rose dramatically. Symptoms of the condition include a high awareness of everything around them, insuppressible anger, and sudden recollections of traumatic events. The symptoms typically can last for a few years. Many psychologists concluded that those participating in any kind of warfare are highly prone to the condition. They determined that combat trauma is likely reported to affect Vietnam War veterans since they were not closely interacting with the enemy. Vietnam War veterans spent most of their time in cramped trenches causing them to be more in fear for themselves. PTSD gained recognition over the years while many psychologists explored ways to cure it by using psychotherapy and recreational medication. Unfortunately, many veterans have to adjust their life with the elusive war bug caught from the battlefield. In other words, many affected have their lives ruined and other surrounding lives in pain to watch (Chambers). 

It is unfortunate for veterans to go through the hardships while in battle. It is difficult especially for veterans to face death since it happens regularly during the war, “Quote on the mention of Lavender’s death” (CR). The repetitive mention of Lavender’s death account for the effects of PTSD. His death was sudden and unexpected that it surprised the group of soldiers at that time. Even though their behavior was inappropriate, their minds are more aware of the circumstances to joining the war. 

The things each soldier carries also has a significant meaning, “They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing—these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight…” (O’Brien 338). Even though veterans are known to carry large amounts of baggage during the war, they also had to carry their emotional upbringings. O’Brien explains that in this quote soldiers experience many encounters during their time that they are unable to talk about to their families and friends. Eventually the effects of PTSD come into play because it can be very overwhelming. The emotional weight of grief, terror, and longing the quote mentions is very difficult to carry especially since during the war everyone is in constant fear. In addition, there are also social expectations within the unit, “Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to” (O’Brien 338). The author says that people are killed because they have to uphold their honor. They each wanted to physically fight in the war instead of simply falling down and closing their eyes. They didn’t want to be seen as cowards, they wanted to be recognized with honor in the prospects of dying the war. For instance, the audience can deviate that maybe these soldiers have no idea when their last day of their life since anything can happen so they are expected to fight until their battery runs out. 

O’Brien gives the reader an opportunity to experience what was it like on the battleground that no one would ever want to go through. The audience can also experience the soldier’s life on the trenches and the day to day planning to do in preparation for the war. They can also see the thought process of a veteran during the Vietnam War where they conducted an operation “search and destroy” that targeted threats in the countryside (Buzzanco). Imagine the guilt that veterans have to go through since they were forced out of their daily lives to fight in the war. Especially since the U.S. did not complete their mission, was it a waste to sacrifice so many brave lives? Definitely not. They had the courage to sacrifice for not only their country but in the hopes of getting home to see their loved ones again.
