I am utterly in love with Tim O’Brien’s writing. I got
an indescribable feeling that rested in my ribcage when I read “The Things They
Carried”. It is as if the words left the pages and tried to drown me with
sorrow and heartbreak. It just felt real.
My favorite storyline from the short story is Jimmy
Cross’ obsessive, longing love for Martha. It was unhealthy but beautiful like
most harmful things are. I enjoyed how Cross will fantasize over Martha as if
thinking about her is his ‘happy place’, which essentially it was, “He was just
a kid at war, in love.”(11). I think this quote sums up the reality of war—they are
just humans sent to hell. In order to overcome their fear, they have to use
humor as their weapon and have a happy place to fall back on “Imagination [is]
killer.”(10). They need an anchor to tie them back to reality.
I also like how the phrase “the things they carried…” is
repeated throughout the short story until it resonates a cheerless tone that is
hard to ignore. I like how the things each character carries lets the reader
gain insight on, not only what their position is, but their personality. In
this short story alone, we are able to delve into each character and they
become three-dimensional. O’Brien creates a good extent of character
development in compact sentences; we learn so much in so little words.
Additionally, I admire that the ‘things’ that they
carried were not just material objects but they were intangible. For example,
how they carried the burden of emotions—grief, love, fear. Or, my personal
favorite, definite things like shameful memories or blushing because they
carried the humiliation of not killing and dying. Just thinking about it makes
me an emotional mess because of the absolute grandeur it is buried in--it is
tragically beautiful.
This is not a war story. It is a love story.
I love how you point out how O'Brien explains what each person literally "carries" with them. It really helped me understand the characters as individuals, their experiences, and their personalities. I also enjoyed how the things they actually carried didn't have to be material objects, but they could have been anything. Like emotions, opinions, or fears. It was so clever of him to describe things in that way!
ReplyDeleteIt also makes me an emotional mess, just hearing about all these people made me think of my own Great-Uncle who served in World War II. It really helped me learn more about what my Great-Uncle might feel on the inside, since he's so passive on the outside. The things these people carry with them into their normal lives after war and even during war is simply remarkable.
ReplyDeleteI love your ending statement in that this is actually a love story. Your point about how we simply send kids into war is very true I believe. The age frame that kids get drafted into the war seems to be at the peaking point in their life. This is when you as a person start to figure out who you are and where you fit into this world. I also really agree with how you mentioned that we were able to get to know each character on a whole deeper level than any book we have read so far in this class, at least that's what I believe.
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