Krupal Patel CP English III Ms. Vayda 24 March 2010 The Things They Carried Outline I.

In The Things They Carried, OBrien uses his experience as a soldier to show the physical and mental effects the soldiers suffer in a senseless war. For example II. Jimmy Cross experiences Loneliness and guilt, caused by Marthas memory. A. Distracted in the memory of Martha 1. Imagines Martha and him on the beach holding hands 2. He tried to concentrate on Lee Struck and the war, all the dangers, but his love was too much for him, He felt paralyzed, he wanted to sleep in her lungs and breathe her blood and be smothered.(OBrien 11) B. Guilt of Lavenders death resulted from distraction 1. The burden of leading the platoon and Marthas memory 2. Jimmy feels the brunt of meaninglessness, despair, and guilt, especially when he contrasts it with the mute and numb reaction of the young soldier, Tim. (Bloom 4) C. As a result

1. The distraction from the memory of Martha leads to the guilt of Lavenders death, on top of the responsibility of leading the platoon causes Jimmy Cross to break down For instance III. As a soldier, Tim OBrien uses stories to illustrate the guilt, stress, and physical pain; he suffers in the Vietnam War. A. The Man I Killed 1. The guilt of killing a innocent hunts OBrien everyday 2. He lay faced- up in the center of the trial slim, almost dainty young man, he had bony legs, a narrow wais, long shapely fingers. His chest was sunken a scholar, maybe. His wrist were the wrist of a child (OBrien 124) 3. OBrien gets shoot twice a. Almost died due to shock, causes him to leave his fellow soldiers and work in resupply base B. Suffers Traumatic Stress Disorder, results in writing stories 1. Id come to this war quiet, thoughtful sort of person, a college gradbut after seven months in the bush I realized that those high, civilized trapping had somehow crushed under the weight of the simple daily realities (OBrien 200) 2. The mental and physical stress piles up resulting his malevolence toward Bobby Jorgensen 3. the breaking point for OBrien is as random as his misplaced hatred for Bobby Jorgensen(Smith 107)

C. In short, OBrien uses his stories to help people understand, the harsh effects of war the soldiers and him has suffered through.

As an illustration IV. Norman Bowker is a perfect example of loneliness and stress on a soldier after a war. A. Depicted as a shy and withdrawn person after the war. 1. Dont have the courage to share his war experience 2. Speaking of Courage 3. the tar road on its seven-mile loop around the lake, then started over again, driving slowly, feeling safe inside his fathers big Chevy(OBrien 137) B. suffers guilt and frustration 1. wishes he had won the medal of Silver Star to impress his dad 2. the platoon member who blame his own failure of nerve Kiowas death(Harris 1) C. Like many soldiers, Norman Bowker was not able to recover from the harsh aftermath of the war, which eventually led to his suicide. V. Every soldier is affected by the burden of war, but the stress and guilt is overwhelming for Rat Kiley, that it causes him to shot his foot. A. The affect of war on a medic 1. Horrified by the pictures he sees in his sleep a. Lungs, blood, guts and bullet wound of the soldiers b. Fear that he would one day end up dead

2. I start seeing my own body. Chucks of myself. My own heart, my own kidney. Its like I dont know its like staring into this huge black crystal ball (OBrien 223) 3. Shoots his foot a. Displayed as a cowardly act b. Easy way of leaving the war B. Guilt 1. Lack of experience as a medic cause the death of the soldiers 2. unable and unwilling to endure the erosion of night patrol, the fear, and the hallucinatory visions that came to him.(Bloom 52) C. As a result, Rat Kiley shoots his own foot to escape the burden of war, shows the tremendous stress the soldiers suffer at War. Similarly VI. Kiowa is a perfect example of a victim of war, he suffers an unimaginable death and leaves behind guilt and sorrow for all the soldiers in the platoon. A. Well respected soldier 1. witnesses Lavenders death first hand a. Fear builds after Lavenders death b. I swear to Godlike cement--boom, down. Not a word. (OBrien 17) c. Tries to avoid feelings after Lavenders death 2. Helps OBrien and many other soldier with their problems 3. Dies in quicksand of gunk B. Pointless death

1. Not all soldiers died of guns, many were senseless death 2. Kiowas death creates chain of reaction; Normans death, OBriens stories, guilt on the soldiers 3. the most spiritual of the characters, and a manifestation of conscience for the group.(Bloom 1) C. In all, Kiowa suffers the physical pain of death cause by a senseless war. VII. Conclusion