Necessity in The Things They Carried Essay - 2336 Words

Necessity in The Things They Carried Necessity is a rather slippery concept in terms of definition. The notion of what an individual requires for his or her survival varies with the particular situation at any given time. These needs may intensify or become distorted as one finds himself in an increasingly dangerous situation, particularly a life-and-death one such as war. Such dire circumstances may provoke in an average person feelings of extreme vulnerability, and the desire to hold on to all that he can, not unlike a childs instinct to grasp the nearest object in his search for comfort while in the throes of anxiety. Despite the fact that these necessary items or ideas that he clings to may impair or even threaten to destroy†¦show more content†¦But ironically, in this paragraph he also includes items such as Ted Lavenders six or seven ounces of premium dope, Rat Kileys comic books, and Kiowas Bible and his distrust of the white man (2-3). This indicates the importance of these things to the men, no matter how ironic that may be, because obviously illicit drugs and comics are not necessary to the common man for physical survival purposes. But this irony suggests the desperation of the situation that the men faced, a situation that could place comics on the same level as food. Perhaps the emptiness that the men felt drove them to think that they had to carry all of these extra items to survive, because they filled the emotional void that was in their heads, created by the numbingly horrific violence of the war. Another substantially detailed necessity of the men is their military supplies. OBrien goes into minute detail, for literally pages, describing the supplies that the men used for defense purposes. Primarily, he lists the standard weaponry for war, the typical rifles, grenades, and defensive clothing such as the flak jacket and helmet (6- 7). He relates the enormous burden of weight that Ted Lavender was carrying when he was shot, and how that weight caused him to fall like a big sandbag or something - just boom, then down. (7) The next passage describes all of the extra weapons they carried, ranging from fragmentation grenades to brass knucklesShow MoreRelated Necessity in OBreins The Things they Carried Essay502 Words   |  3 PagesRR- â€Å"The Things They Carried† What’s More Important? Necessity can usually be described as something or someone that is needed. However, this word has different meanings and is based solely on what the individual requires for his or her survival. These needs may increase or become distorted as he or she finds themselves in a life-or-death situation such as war. Circumstances may also provoke an average person to become emotionally distressed and thus the desire to hold on toRead MoreThe Things They Carried by Tim OBrien1154 Words   |  5 PagesThe novel The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien begins by Mr. OBrien describing his dramatical events that happened during the middle of his Vietnam experience while he was fighting in the war. Mr. OBrien received his draft notice in the month of June in the year of 1968. When he received this notice Mr. OBrien had feelings of confusion, and that drove him to go north to the Canadian border, and it had him contemplating if he wanted to cross it or not because he does not want t o be forced toRead MoreCritical Analysis - the Things They Carried Essay815 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Things They Carried† In the short story â€Å"The Things They Carried†, Tim O’Brien wrote about the experience of war and the feelings young soldiers felt during their long days of travel. During the story he keeps referring back to the things the soldiers chose to carry in their packs. Some of these items included necessity items like grenades and ammunition, but they also carry sentimental items like love letters and pictures. These items help the reader better understand each person forRead More The Things They Carried Essay1107 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Things They Carried†. As the story goes on it shows not only the literal meaning of what they carried but also symbolically the burdens that they had mentally. In the literal sense O’Brien talks about what different members of a platoon in Vietnam carried. This helps him to move to a more symbolic sense at the end of the story. He starts by talking about necessities and slowly moves on to what they carried to remind them that there was a world out side of the war. â€Å"Among the necessities or nearRead MoreThings They Carried – Coping Mechanisms:1529 Words   |  7 PagesThe Things They Carried –Coping Mechanisms to Survive During the Vietnam war, soldiers were not exposed to the traditional coping mechanisms of our American society, as illustrated in Tim Obrien s The Things They Carried. These men were forced to discover and invent new ways to deal with the pressures of war, using only their resources while in the Vietnamese jungle. It was not possible for any soldier to carry many items or burdens with them, but if something was a necessity, a way wasRead MoreA Lesson in Responsibility: â€Å"The Things They Carried† by Tim O’Brien1033 Words   |  5 Pagescarry things with them all the time on a daily basis. They might be physical, emotional or spiritual things. Some people could carry a traumatic past while others simply carry a bag of groceries into their house. The things one carries defines them as a person and brings out their qualities as well as their defects. Some people might think of those things as burdens while others see them as a way out of reality or as something to push them forward, something to believe in. In â€Å"The Things They Carried†Read More The Burden in The Things They Carried by OBrien Essay1062 Words   |  5 PagesBurden in The Things They Carried by OBrien   In The Things They Carried, OBrien made reference to the Vietnam war that was closely associated with the physical, psychological, and emotional weight the soldiers beared.   The overall method of presentation of this story incorporated many different outlooks on the things the soldiers carried, dealt with, and were forced to adapt to.   In addition to this, OBrien showed us the many reasons why and how the soldiers posessed these things individuallyRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien999 Words   |  4 PagesThe short story â€Å"The Things They Carried† by Tim O’Brien used many different types of literary devices. Imagery is used to illustrate the war in a descriptive way. Figurative and literal language is used to describe the things that the soldiers carried with them; physically and emotionally. Some of the things that the soldiers carried with them were symbols of luck. Personification was used when mentioning these good lucks symbols and it was a lso used to describe the dead. Alliteration was used inRead MoreEssay The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien1509 Words   |  7 PagesThe Things They Carried Tim O’Brien This work of art is a war story, with love, tragedy and personal responsibility, giving details of what one carries, survives and ponders during events that take place out of our control. The Thing Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien depicts human beings just like us that don’t get a choice of what happens around us but how to survive with the things we hold dear that help us make it through. It also shares with us the fear, risk and aftermath of the deathRead MoreSymbolism in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried Essays978 Words   |  4 Pagesexperience in Vietnam, â€Å"The Things They Carried† is a short story that introduces the reader to the experiences of soldiers away at war. O’Brien uses potent metaphors with a third person narrator to shape each character. In doing so, the reader is able to sympathize with the internal and external struggles the men endure. These symbolic comparisons often give even the smallest details great lite rary weight, due to their dual meanings. The symbolism in â€Å"The Things They Carried† guides the reader through