The Things They Carried Interpretation

The Things They Carried is a story that tells the activities of a platoon fighting in the Vietnam War while focusing on what items they carried around with them. Many of these were things they needed for the war, necessary supplies and weapons. Other items they carried seemed unimportant and unnecessary for a war but these were the things that were portrayed as the most important. When reading over this story at first it may appear that these little extra things the soldiers carried were insignificant. After all they weighed very little in comparison to the weapons that “weighed 7.5 pounds unloaded, 8.2 with its full twenty-round magazine” or the extra magazines the soldiers carried “adding on another 8.4 pounds at minimum, fourteen pounds at maximum” (1205). In comparison to these, along with the many other heavy weapons the soldiers had to carry, the small trinkets they carried around with them may seem to be insignificant to the reader. These small trinkets, however, are what add the most weight and bring the most burdens to these soldiers.
Tim O’Brien, the author of this story, seems to focus much of the story around the physical weight of the objects the men carry. As he lists the different weapons and machinery carried by each soldier he gives its weight. But when he tells of the other things they carry by choice, premium dope, condoms, a diary, comic books, an illustrated New Testament, and a hunting hatchet among these, he does not list their weight. Is this because their weight is insignificant compared to the other things they carried or because the weight, or importance rather, of these objects could not be determined by simply placing a number on it and calling that its weight. It seems as though O’Brien is eliciting to a much greater weight that these items carry. Not a physical weight, but an emotional weight. These all remind the soldiers of other things and other places. These things allowed the soldiers to escape the full reality and the monotony they were stuck in while fighting this war. Perhaps O’Brien neglects to include the weight of these items because their weight is incalculable.
O’Brien also discussed the intangible things that added to the weight of these soldiers. He tells of Jimmy Cross, the platoon leader, carrying the “responsibility for the lives of his men” (1204) and the “unweighed fear” (1205).
One of the central themes of this story is the weight these soldiers were under and how much weight many of the soldiers in combat face. O’Brien uses the heavy weight of the machine guns and other weapons to impact upon us the physical weight but he also uses the “peculiar little odds and ends” and the intangibles to allude to the tremendous weight they bore internally (1207). “They carried the sky. The whole atmosphere, they carried it, the humidity, the monsoons, the stink of fungus and decay, all of it, they carried gravity” (1210). This quote gives us a glance at the capacity of this weight, of having all these forces bearing down on the soldiers. When reading this story we shouldn’t simply read over this and continue but rather it is crucial that readers stop here and contemplate what this really means. How impossibly heavy it would be to carry the atmosphere and to carry gravity. O’Brien discussed the soldiers fighting and “hoping not to die” then soon after he describes “it was the burden of being alive” (1212). The soldiers could not escape. They didn’t want to die yet they were burdened because they were alive. “They carried their own lives” (1210).
We are able to sense the heaviness of all these things as we read about the men daydreaming while on guard. It says “they were carried away by jumbo jets… the weights fell off, there was nothing to bear… it was all lightness… they gave themselves over to lightness, they were carried, they were purely borne” (1214). The soldiers would imagine that they were taken away from the place they were at, away from the destruction and burdens. They were simply free and light. That’s all they wanted. Was to be light. For the weights to be lifted. Not just the physical weights but the emotional weights as well.
Another thing that suggests the unimportance of the war weapons the soldiers carried is the fact that every time O’Brien listed on of these war supplies the soldiers carried he would explain why they carried this. As if it isn’t obvious that these are needed in fighting a war and staying safe while doing so. An example of this is, “Because the land was mined and booby-trapped, it was standard operating procedure for each man to carry a steel-centered, nylon-covered flak jacket, which weighed 6.7 pounds, but which on hot days seemed much heavier. Because you could die so quickly, each man carried at least one large compress bandage, usually in the helmet band for easy access. Because the nights were cold, and because the monsoons were wet, each carried a green plastic poncho that could be used as a raincoat or ground sheet or makeshift tent. With its quilted liner, the poncho weighed almost two pounds” (1203). O’Brien does not, however describe the purpose behind carrying the little things they carry. This is partly because there is no functionality to them but also because their purpose to the soldier cannot be summed up in a simple description. These things that they carry mean so much to them, these things seem to be their identity. As they are far away from their home, in another world it seems to them, these things serve as their identity and as a reminder of who they are outside of this war. O’Brien emphasizes that these little things were necessary for these men to carry. Maybe not necessary for fighting the war but necessary for their survival.
As you read The Things They Carried it is important that you not only look at the physical weight of the items they carried but that you also evaluate the weight behind the other things they carried including their thoughts and memories. As O’Brien says “grief, terror, love, longing-these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight” (1213). Each of these things added to the burden of the soldier. I believe one of the things O’Brien was trying to convey in this story is just how incredibly pressured and encumbered these soldiers were; to deal with this destruction and death and fear while being still so young. It’s important that as we read this story we see that under all this pressure they still continued. Each day they began again. Not so much out of determination and perseverance but more out of fear and embarrassment. Not for “dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor” (1214).

4-19 A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings

As I read this story I became overwhelmed with sadness for the man being mistreated. He was clearly very sick and handicap and the people simply mocked him and treated him horribly. Just because he was different they began to treat him as an outcast instead of helping him. He obviously needed help.
I also found it very odd that the family allowed them angel to live in their house even though it bothered them so much. The story stresses how much Elisenda hated him being there. This made me think of how often people ignore or don’t take the time to get to know someone because they think they are so different from them. When in reality everyone could gain something very meaningful from getting to know someone. Everyone has something very unique to offer.
At the very end as the angel is starting to regain its strength and fly off is says “Elisenda let out a sigh of relief, for herself and for him” this showed that she did care for him. Though it seemed that she despised his presence and had no care what so ever for him here it says that she was glad for him. she was relieved that he had gained his strength back and that he could go on to a better life and better treatment. This relates to how often people mistreat or judge someone because it seems to be what everyone else is doing. They feel the need to treat some people horribly out of fear that if they don’t then they might become the one being mistreated. But Christ calls us to live separate and to love those that the world rejects. It’s so important that we as Christians live out this command and love everyone because as it says in Matthew 25:40 “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”.

4-14 The Boys Next Door

“I see you” is the greeting used in Best Buddies and it is a saying that has changed my life. Best Buddies is a club where students with intellectual disabilities are paired together with other students so that they can build a friendship together and support one another. I will never forget my first buddy, Christian. I was nervous, at first, about being in this club because I was not really sure what it would be like or how I would interact with my buddy. I ended up having a blast, however, and Christian changed my life and my thinking. He was always so full of joy and excitement when I went to see him. This joy was often times contagious and I ended up being happy and smiling when I was with him. Christian loved laughing and having fun and he always made everyone around him laugh. Christian and all the other buddies had a great way of making me feel so special and important when I went to visit them.
When I first joined Best Buddies I didn’t really know what was meant by the saying “I see you” but its meaning became very clear to me after a while. It means that when working with people it is important that you see them for who they are and not what disabilities they may have. I realized that Christian and the other buddies are people and they should not be treated any differently or deprived of opportunities because of their disability.
As I read the play The Boys Next Door I was reminded of the people I met while in Best Buddies and the challenges and joys that came from working with them. Just as in the play people with disabilities are often taken advantage of. This is especially sad because they are so trusting and would never think that anyone was out to harm them.
Just as we saw Jack struggle with communicating with some of the other characters in the play it is often times hard to understand what they mean by some things or understand what they are doing. It takes a lot of patience to work with people with disabilities but it is incredibly rewarding.
When I went on the AFI tour and got to see the clients there doing jobs and increasing their abilities I was able to see better how functional disabled people can be. A lot of times society puts up limits on what we think they can and can’t do and often people aren’t able to reach their full potential because no one encourages them or allows them to practice. As we saw in the play, however, people with disabilities are capable of maintaining jobs and supporting themselves with the help of an overseer. The AFI works with their clients to increase their abilities and give them opportunities to interact in society.
Some of the biggest obstacles people with disabilities face are those set by society. Out of ignorance many people fear them and put them all in the same category. Society often assumes that they are all the same and that they can’t do anything because of their disability. Many try to avoid any contact or work with them because they are different than them. If people would take time to learn about disabilities and the wide range of its effects I think they would be less afraid and more eager to get to know the person behind the disability.

4-12 Art Museum

I went to the Polk Museum of Art for this assignment, and I stayed there for at least 40 minutes. The trip to the art museum was definitely a new experience for me. I had never been to an art museum before and I was excited to go. As I began looking at some of the art I was surprised by how much I was moved by it. I experienced all different types of emotions and reactions. I didn’t realize how well an artist can portray a certain mood or experience and make the looker actually experience it. In one picture I saw I could see the sadness and confusion of the artist jumping off the piece of work right in front of me.
Some of the pieces of art I didn’t understand at all, however. I was able to see a unique beauty in each piece but some of them didn’t seem like they meant anything. I was really surprised by how much I got out of the painting I looked at for six minutes. At first it just seemed like a really good drawing of a girl lying on a chair. But as I stood there more and more was revealed. I noticed small details and began wondering why the artist chose to do some of the things he did. As I was writing down my thoughts on this piece and others I was really surprised by how well they applied to my life and how relevant many of them seemed to different aspects of my life.
Words often can only express so much and are usually limited in their effect. Art, however, can be the catalyst to a story that only one mind can interpret. A picture can paint a thousand different words, depending on the individual viewing it. Art ignites imaginations and once imagination takes flight there is no telling where it can take you.



Questions

How does she lay so easily on that chair?
As if she’s floating in air.
Though it looks so effortless as she lays there
It seems that the weight of the world is upon her.
The distraught exposed on her face.
Does she know that she’s not the only one
Who paints this façade?
Who pretends everything is okay.
As she balances herself on that chair
The balances of her life seem to be broken.
As she’s surrounded by darkness
Does she see the light above her?
Will she respond to this light,
And see that all is not hopeless?
The light beacons her.
She moves.
Is it the right move?
Is it the wrong move?
Questions only produce more questions.
Where are the answers.
The only answer she finds are in her head.

4-7 Lectio Divina and Reading

In McAloon’s Reading for Transformation through the Poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins McAloon mentions that he practices lectio divina with different works of Hopkins’. Though lectio divina is probably most commonly used for reading scripture, it is very useful and effective in reading poetry. Through practicing each step of lectio divina the reader is able to focus more intently on the piece he or she is reading. Often times when I read poetry or some other writing I just read the words with no deep understanding of what they mean. And even times when I am trying to understand what the writing is saying I don’t always get the whole message. But in lectio divina because you are rereading parts of the work it allows you to see something new each time. As you begin to read and reread a piece of literature more and more of the meaning and depth is unveiled.
Most have experienced this while reading scripture but it works for literature as well. Oftentimes there is so much depth and hidden meaning in literature that it is almost impossible to uncover it all by simply reading it once. It takes rereading, focus, and meditation to uncover all that the author is trying to say. And much like what McAloon describes, the reader undergoes a sort of “transformation” from reading and meditating on these works. Through uncovering meaning in literature, readers are able to go on from this experience with a broader perspective and a greater knowledge of life and situations. Most times literature talks about a certain stage in life or a particular struggle or problem most people face. Through uncovering this and reading the author’s view we are able to better cope with these and gain a new knowledge so that we will not be ignorant to it if someone we know is facing a situation.

4-5 Darkness

This essay, Darkness, Questions, Poetry and Spiritual Hope brought to light many things that a lot of people don’t always like to hear. But it’s all true, however, and perhaps this is why it can be so difficult to take in. We all have to face darkness many times in our lives. This is something that we often times don’t want to acknowledge but it is always with us. Turning a blind eye to darkness and pain only creates an unrealistic world that is meaningless. If there is no darkness and difficulty in your life then there can be no good times.
Though facing darkness is often a very difficult and confusing thing, we can “face darkness and then surface with spiritual hope”. This does not mean that once we deal with the darkness every question will be answered and all will be well, but when you go through the darkness and come through it allows you to see the strength you have and gives you confidence in knowing that you can get through. In many struggles, no matter what area of life they affect, they often turn into spiritual struggles as well. In going through these struggles many questions often come up question our faith and what it means. But in those questions and confusion we can cling to the promise that God will always be with us and even when we don’t think God could possibly be with us we can remember that the presence of God is “with us in the dark makes it possible for us to sit with the question of darkness without being destroyed by madness”. His comfort allows us to remain in our darkest moments and give us hope as we persevere into a brighter day. Embracing darkness solidifies our faith and our confidence in God.