What They really carried in "The Things They Carried"

In response to The Things They Carried 

What did the troops in The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien actually carry? O’Brien tells his story of being in the Vietnam war and also the stories of others through characters he created to represent those who he fought alongside with. As readers, we are told in the beginning a long list of all the things each soldier physically carried with them each day and the weight that those items were. This was written by the author so we could get an understanding of what the soldiers had to do each day. Some of the things they all had to carry for example where, “can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of cool aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, military payment certificates, c rations and two or three canteens of water. Together, these items weighed between 15 and 20 pounds”(The Things They Carried, O’Brien). The author then goes into what each individual person carried in his platoon, for example, ted lavender carried tranquilizers they author explains that he carried these because he “was scared”(O’Brien). Ted lavender also carried dope “which for him was a necessity”(O’Brien). So obviously each soldier had to carry things emotionally and mentally also. As the book goes on we are able to know more and more about each character. We are able to see that O’Brian had to carry shame with him though the war because he joined the war even though it was something he was against, for fear that others would speak badly of him. Jimmy Cross carried grief with him because he wants so badly to be with the women that he loved, he carried each letter that she wrote him and would read them every night dreaming of being with her. Dobbins would wrap his girlfriend's pantyhose around his neck when he would go into battle, and when she broke up with him he still wore them around his neck because he thought they were a good luck charm. Dobbins was an example of someone who needed to believe in superstitions and good luck charms to distract themselves from the war. In the end, each soldier carried more than just physical items, they carried grief, shame, sadness, anxiety and each one had to hold onto hope and superstition to not go crazy from the war.