I denne study guide får du et overblik over novellen "The Things They Carried" (1990) af Tim O'Brien. Vi gennemgår trin for trin de væsentligste elementer i teksten, som det er relevant at tage fat i, når du skal lave en analyse af teksten. Derudover får du et summary af teksten og Studienets bud på tema, budskab og perspektiveringsmuligheder.
Tim O’Brien (f. 1946) er en amerikansk forfatter. Hans mest kendte litterære værk er netop novellesamlingen The Things They Carried (1990), der bygger på forfatterens egne oplevelser som soldat under Vietnamkrigen.
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When it comes to the social setting, the story focuses on the effects of the war on soldiers. They mostly act out of inertia, without any real motivation, and they struggle to keep themselves together even though they are constantly afraid of death. To maintain their composure, the soldiers tend to joke about death and deal with it ironically, and this is also a way to avoid thinking that they might also be killed in action.
The things that keep the soldiers going are the material things they carry with them – personal items or reminders from their families or dear ones – but also the hope of returning safely to their home land. Overall, the social setting shows that soldiers are not always strong and brave as one might expect, but are often frightened and vulnerable, fueled by their personal stories and by the hope of staying alive.
Also, the social setting suggests that, in the war, all men are equal, no matter their background. For instance, the story mentions doctors (like Rat Kiley) and Native-Americans (like Kiowa), as well as different men with different personalities: scared men (like Ted Lavender), ladies’ men (like Mitchell Sanders, who carries condoms) or strong men (like Henry Dobbins). Nevertheless, despite their differences, the war makes them all equally vulnerable, and we see them forming deep friendships and connections.
Finally, the social setting also focuses on unrequited love, particularly that between Jimmy Cross and Martha. Although Jimmy is convinced that Martha does not really love him, he is still hopeful and in love and he uses her memory as a distraction from the horrors of war. However, sometimes the thought of her distracts him too much, like when Ted Lavender is killed.
