Analysis

On the following pages, we will guide you through the most important elements in the short story "The Things They Carried" by the American author Tim O'Brien.

We will start out examining the structure of the short story which is based around the experience of soldiers in Vietnam. The story focuses on Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and on his unrequited love for Martha. The thought of this young woman distracts him from his military duties.  

The story contains a number of characters including Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, Martha (who is an absent character) and the other platoon members. The story mostly focuses on Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, so he can be considered one of the main characters of the story.

In terms of setting, the story takes place in Vietnam during the Vietnam Waw, which took place from 1955-1975. We conclude that the story is probably set around 1970. In terms of social setting, the story is about a group of despairing soldiers.

A third person narrator relays the events of the short story anonymously. The main point of view stays with the main character, Jimmy Cross. We talk about how the narrator has a lot of explicit knowledge and is very detailed in describing people, events and items.

Lastly, the language of the short story is the subject of our analysis. We look at the technical language employed as well as the way the author uses various kinds of literary devices to tell the short story.

Read on, for a full analysis of the elements mentioned above!