"The Things They Carried" by TimO' Brien (Logan Angol period 6)

      I've found that the significant and utterly engaging novel, "The Things They Carried" , is concrete proof of


 how a book can be relevant to our society today. The book revolves around a squadron of protagonist who "carry"


certain items that always has a background story to them. For example, one compelling background was


when the squadron found a very small dead body one day while patrolling. Being able to confirm that the body was


one of a little boy, even though the face was unidentifiable, they cut a finger off the body and kept it as a souvenir. To


continue, other such things that were carried were pictures of loved ones. An substantial amount of people in our


society could relate to such feelings and emotion if they had to move away from their loved ones to perform duties. 


These type of findings and the consistent telling of their backgrounds enhanced the story, and thus, kept readers such


as myself understand the sophistication this novel contains. 

 

       

         To further address my statement of this didactic novel, the book can relate to numerous age groups. For


reference , a character in the book Jimmy Cross carries pictures and lingerie of his girlfriend back home. He


fantasizes about her so much in fact, it impedes his line of duty. He doesn't recognize an enemy solider hiding in the


forest. Thus , his fellow brother in arms was killed during a simple patrol because of one  of Cross's things he carried.


Just this situation alone can touch a readers heart and memories. Maybe they could relate to a situation that was very


precise to that part of the novel. Maybe a war veteran would've been disgusted because a soldier let his man die for


some perverted thoughts. So much implications can be thought of from such a tale, and this is how the novel relates,


reflects, and is relevant to our society today.





           To conclude the review of this compelling novel, the book ends with a mixture of romance, sadness, memories,


and death. The author , Tim O'Brien , basically tries to open the reader's mind on how war isn't all about killing and


violence. Its the memories and sorrow of the soldiers that makes fighting in war so hard. As well as a person's mental


stability. I recommend this book to all ages and genders. Especially if you're just a regular citizen who knows nothing


about war, this is the perfect novel for you. I personally enjoyed it  myself and would love to read it again. Out of a


rating from 1-5 , I give "The Things They Carried" a 4.