An Analysis of Themes and Characters in The Things They Carried

This essay provides a detailed analysis of Tim O'Brien's novel, 'The Things They Carried.' It examines the portrayal of the protagonist, Tim, and his experiences during the Vietnam War. The essay delves into the societal impact of the war, highlighting the emotional and psychological toll on soldiers, particularly focusing on the death of Tim's co-fighter, Ted Lavendar. The essay also explores the various perspectives presented in the novel, which contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the historical context and the devastating consequences of the war. The author emphasizes the themes of trauma, loss, and the lasting impact of war on individuals and society. The essay also references the author's understanding of the historical context of the Vietnam War, which is central to the novel's themes.

Running head: ENGLISH
English
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1: ENGLISH
The book The Things They Carried is one of the best literary documents in the late 20th
century through which the contemporary society has been shown (O'brien: 23). The protagonist
of the book is Tim and the entire social situation has been detailed in this book by the author.
In this book, Tim has been portrayed as an American soldier and he had been deployed in
the Vietnam War. In this book, Tim has told the stories from various points of view and it gives a
better reflection of the entire society. In this book, the sad history of the war between United
States and Vietnam has been depicted. These various viewpoints have been described in the story
so the actual truth of the history could be found (Mahini et al,: 1285).
In this scenario, it has also been said that the contemporary society was completely
broken into pieces (Mahini et al,: 1285). Tim was a part of an American platoon which acted in
the interior regions of Vietnam. It was also clear that the life of the protagonist Tim was entirely
shattered after his life after his co-fighter Ted Lavendar had died (O'brien: 23). He went on to tell
the stories of these people. This incident helped him to become the friend of the ghost soldiers
who were killed in battle.
Thus, this book brings up the helplessness of the soldiers who had been injured and died
in the Vietnam War. The harmful impact of this war on the soldiers is the main essence of this
book and the protagonist Tim has served justice to his character.

2: ENGLISH
References
Mahini, Ramtin Noor-Tehrani Noor, Erin Barth, and Jed Morrow. "Tim O’Brien’s “Bad”
Vietnam War: The Things They Carried & Its Historical Perspective." Theory and
Practice in Language Studies 8.10 (2018): 1283-1293.
O'brien, Tim. The things they carried. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.