A critical look at The Things They Carried
One of the storylines concentrates on the literal things that the soldiers carry with them. On the surface, the story is about the physical burdens that the soldiers bring with them, like necessities for war such as clothing, rations and medical equipment or personal items like letters and mementos from loved ones. However, as the story progresses and we become more familiar with who these soldiers are, with their foibles, their distinguishing traits and their flaws, we begin to see that as equally heavy as are their emotional burdens. O’Brien describes the weight of fear in particular as “the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down.”