The Things They Carried Q&A

The first story and the book share a title. The narrator provides a brief overview of the weapons and personal items that the soldiers carried during their time in Vietnam. Over the course of the book, the title continues to gain layers of depth as readers come to understand that the soldiers did not stop carrying some of their burdens after the war, but rather that the war brought them new burdens that they were then forced to carry.

The narrator repeatedly emphasizes the value of talking as a means of dealing with difficult memories through the perspective of several short stories. He realizes that storytelling and writing are his means of talking and it is the reason why he has been able to remain alive unlike some of his comrades who had been overcome by the burdens of war.

The novel paints a fragmented, violent, and disturbing picture of war, and demonstrates the disassociation experienced by the soldiers in war through characters like Azar, who no longer consider anything to be sacred, whether that is forgiveness or the death of a brother-in-arms. Despite being a book of war stories, the novel makes no mention of patriotism and nationalism as motivators for soldiers as they wage war on foreign soil.

Tim suffers a bullet wound that Bobby fails to treat on time because he is inexperienced and unable to overcome his fear of combat. Bobby’s failure to administer proper field first aid causes Tim’s wound to worsen. During his recovery, Tim focuses all of his ire on Bobby intending revenge, but his true reason for revenge turns out to be separation. Tim feels like Bobby is responsible for causing him to be separated from Alpha Company, who no longer see Tim as a part of their unit.