Tim OBriens The Things They Carried Essay -- OBrient Things They Ca

Tim OBriens The Things They CarriedCulture teaches that men must dispense of ridiculous feelings and remain firm, following expected duties. OBrien develops this theme of the transition from youth to manhood in his short story, The Things They Carried. Through the protagonist Jimmy mark, metaphors of weight, and futile ideas of freedom, OBrien reveals how society expects young men in transition to adulthood to let go of breezy idealism and dwell instead on the cruel pragmatism of the world. Initially, OBrien highlights Crosss thoughts of love and emotional feelings as he describes the experience of war. Cross constantly thinks about Martha and how much he loves her, and though he senses her uninvolvement, he remains in denial about the fact that Martha feels nothing for him. However, he grasps on to her as his only hope. She represents his connections to a normal life, the world where he can be an average twenty-two year old, not plagued by death and devastation. OBrien ex poses Crosses desires to be pure and unscathed in his hopes that Martha is a virgin. Cross wishes to be untouched by war, destruction, bombs, fear, and the devastation of war, just like Martha. OBrien illustrates how overcome with emotion Cross is as he daydreams about her dense, crushing love. In addition to love, OBrien describes the tremendous mental burdens the men carry, but are not allowed to express. OBrien utilizes the metaphor of weight to emphasize the burdens on the boys. The narrator speaks of everything in weight as in the jungle boots2.1 pounds, steel helmets that weighed five pounds, and the letters weighed ten ounces. This technique further stresses the mental envelopment of these boys in war because they a... ...aims theres definitely a moral here and continues to bring up the subject end-to-end the story. OBrien highlights through Mitchell that the soldiers are only boys and far too young to be exposed to such violence. With the dispensing of love and idealism, the reality of war settles into Crosss mind, forever changing his view the world. In his short story, The Things They Carried, Tim OBrien demonstrates the depressing change of a soldier from imaginative boy to impersonal man, adolescent to adult, and caramel to leader. The terrible burdens pile so high on the young men that certainly they would never be at a loss for things to carry. The harsh reality of the world tremendously affects Cross and forever changes him. Through this transition, OBrien reveals the strict and dismal standards which culture upholds for men to be firm and unwavering.