A story can be interpreted differently when it is read closely and more in-depth.  “The Things They Carried” written by Tim O’Brien, expresses a meaning to the audience that is noticed more so when looking at specific literary devices within the reading.  Interpretation of the true story and purpose can be determined when the reader looks at all aspects of the writing.   By looking at structure, word choice, and irony, we see the true side of humanity and war, which shows us the weight of their struggles and the loss of life and love.  This can be a very difficult topic but O’Brien helps the reader understand a lot about war that often goes unsaid. 

Structure throughout a piece of writing has an impact on how the audience interprets the reading.  O’Brien starts off this particular story with long, detailed sentences that come together to make an even longer paragraph about a girl from home named Martha.  The narrator who is also the Lieutenant, then goes into talking about the soldiers in his platoon and the specific items that they all carry along with them, again being longer, more structured sentences and paragraphs. Descriptive scenarios of experiences within the war are provided for the audience.  This in-depth structure continues until the reality of war and its horrific experiences are brought to the reader’s attention.  As the Lieutenant speaks about the soldiers and all that each carry, both physically and emotionally, as well as together and separately, the sentences are drawn-out and thorough in description.  This in-depth structure expresses the significance of the details within the story to the audience and also shows how important this information is to the narrator. 

There is a noticeable change in the writing structure when Ted Lavender, a soldier that Lieutenant Jimmy Cross was responsible for, is killed.  As the Lieutenant speaks of the death of the soldier and the thought of suppressing his love for Martha the reader is able to understand the emotions and tragedy portrayed by the author.  Each sentence is only a few words in length and straight to the point.  Although they are short in length, the message presented is strong and the reader gets the idea of how difficult it is to express.  At the end, when Cross is brought back to reality and his focus is solely on his soldiers and the war the in-depth details are back forming longer extensive sentences.  These changes throughout the reading demonstrate the narrators true struggle of balancing humanity and war.     

O’Brien chooses certain words to get his point across to the readers.  One important aspect he uses for his word choice is repetition.  The word “carried” is used over and over again throughout the entire story.  The narrator uses this one word to show the audience all the many things that each soldier carries on their person, and each items weight, as well as the burden that war has on the person itself.  He speaks of the certain guns, ammo, and other war necessities that are “carried” physically.  By describing the weight of each item and the importance of them, the narrator helps the reader understand the physical burden that each soldier carries.  The weight of memory, masks of composure, emotional baggage, pressure, grief, and their lives are also described as being “carried” but this is strictly a mental burden that is carried with each step taken.  Lieutenant Jimmy Cross mentions how he himself has chosen items with specific personal importance to also “carry.”  Items such as pictures, letters, The Bible, candy and medicine, are a few of the things that each soldier “carried” to help them personally overcome the struggles of war and try to hold on to humanity.  Repetition of the word “carried” expressed a deeper meaning, allowing the reader to relate to all of the aspects of the true meaning of war. 

Irony within a writing plays an important role in expressing the deeper meaning of the story.  Lieutenant Cross carries Martha’s letters, pictures, and pebble along with him to provide him with love, hope, and a sense of humanity while in an inhumane environment.  He feels that these items will help him get through the hard times of war, but for him, it only seems to make matters worse.  He is in charge of his platoon and is supposed to be solely focused on them.  Cross’s mind is elsewhere though; he never seems to be able to stop thinking about Martha, about the times they shared, what she might be doing, and his love for her.  After Lavender is shot and killed, Cross begins to blame himself because of how unfocused he is.  Ironically, what was originally supposed to be giving him peace and comfort while at war, has now lead to pain and tragedy.  Ultimately the items that are valued the most and that Cross sought peace in, he destroys in order to try to maintain focus on the job at hand ending in a different way than what was anticipated by the audience. 

Irony can also be seen in the aspect of being “separate but together.”  Martha first mentions this in reference to her and Lieutenant Cross, as he struggles with the meaning of how the phrase pertains to them, the audience is able to see in depth of how it is portrayed within the war and all of those involved.  Lieutenant Cross mentions the necessary items as well as the emotions that he and the rest of his platoon carry as a whole.  He then mentions the personal items that they individually carry to help them stay connected to their humanity.  Each soldier is still in-tact with the real world in their own ways and they have separate lives to live.  When one of them is injured or killed during duty, they all hurt, that is the aspect of them being together.  While each soldier must fight and stand together during times of war, it is also apparent how each soldier is fighting their own personal war within showing the conflict and difference between appearance and reality. 

Close reading portrays an in-depth meaning of the story to the readers.  Tim O’Brien uses short and long structured sentences and paragraphs, repetition, and irony all to pull the reader in and give a deeper meaning to the story.  While sentence structure is used to express the narrator’s thoughts and emotions, repetition and his word choice places emphases on the true meaning of the story and the importance behind the meaning of a single word.  By using irony, the author makes the audience think about togetherness and the struggle of reality.  These elements of literature help to show the true side of humanity and war while keeping life and love in perspective.  
