In: Psychology
Tim O’Brien, the narrator of ‘The Things They Carried’, narrates to the reader about various things the soldiers in Vietnam Carry. Things that they carry depend on the rank they hold and the psychological and professional attachment they hold with those things. They are not things but they are the expressions of the person’s personality.
The machine gunner Henry Dobbins carries extra rations because he is the biggest man in the group. His physical figure made him carry more rations. He was also superstitious, so he believed that carrying his girlfriend’s pantyhose around his neck will bring him good luck.
Ted Lavender is a very nervous man so he carries marijuana and tranquilizers to calm him down. He is at the war front but he is very afraid of going for war or he is very nervous that he will never see his homeland.
Kiowa is very religious, so he carried a New Testament which was gifted by his father. He believes that if he has the Bible, either it will save him or he would go to heaven if he dies.