Reflections On The Things They Carried

Reflections on "The Things They Carried"
Part I: Analyzing the story’s craftsmanship
Tim O’Brien wrote a story that is known as "The Things They Carried." It is a carefully crafted, detailed account of
a Lieutenant and his men, the time period being right in the middle of the Vietnam war. In most war stories the
author spends most of his or her time describing actions and events to the reader, trying to really put the reader
"right there" in the middle of everything that is happening. However, O’Brien drifts away from that trend here,
hardly describing any events of import to us at all. Rather, he focuses on the thoughts of the soldiers, the inner
feelings, small personal nuances and quirks that really describe the men. Being out in the wilderness, far from home
or anything they recognize, these men must deal with the mental and physical stresses of war. Here is where O’Brien
implements his literary art form.
One thing a reader may notice when reading the story is the fact that the story is written in third person, limited
omniscient. The narrator is not actually in the story, merely telling us of the events, and yet we still get to see inside
Lt. Cross’s mind to more accurately picture his feelings. The narrator also, although letting us see the innermost,
personal thoughts of Cross, always refers to the Lieutenant as either "he,", "him," or "Lt. Cross," never speaking of
him by only his first name, which seems rather formal. Also, it is odd that O’Brien should c...

Reflections On The Things They Carried

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