Themes & O'Brien

O’Brien has a very particular and unique writing style. His book is more than just about war. It is an expose on the reality of human behavior and way of thinking during wartime. O’Brien presents many different themes but some that stick out the most are emotional hardship and shame. In his story The Things They carried O’Brien explains all the physical things a soldier carries to be ready for war. Like O’Brien mentions “the things they carried were largely determined by necessity. Among them were P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes…” and many other things a soldier would need. All these items placed a physical burden on the soldier but O’Brien also tells us all the emotional burned the soldier’s carry with them as well, “Some carried phosphorous grenades. They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried”. Soldiers can cause great harm in combat, they kill in order to survive and no matter how well trained a soldier is taking a life takes a toll on any man. “Henry Dobbins carried his girlfriends pantyhose wrapped around his neck as a comforter. They all carried ghost”. Ghost of friends who have died in combat, ghost of terrible things they might have done to survive the war. Shame is also a powerful theme in O’Brien’s writing in his story On The Rainy River O’Brien explores shame and embarrassment as the driving force that compelled him to go to war. O’Brien was about to make a break for Canada to avoid the draft but he was afraid. “I was afraid of walking away from my own life, my friends and my family, my whole history, everything that mattered to me. I feared loosing the respect of my parents. I feared the law. I feared ridicule and censure.” I could not possibly imagine the feeling of loosing your parent’s respect but O’Brien did and he goes to war to prove other wise. He was pushed into this war that he did not believe in because he feared shame and embarrassment if he did not serve. “… The conversation zeroing in on the young O’Brien kid, how the dammed sissy had taken off for Canada”. This fear is a powerful motivator and is one of the many reasons soldiers go to war the fear of becoming an outcast, being called a "pussy".