This is my third time reading "The Things They Carried" and I can't say that I'm all that mad about the repetition. O'Brien goes into the lives of each of these soldiers, bringing forth details that make them that much more human and remind you that there are men in the boots. Originally, I wondered if it was going to be about the physical things they were carrying in their packs, the bags slung over their shoulders. But it was more of a metaphor, providing a sort-of personification of their worries, woes, and grief. Which is pretty incredible to think about. Not only were they heaving around huge packs with things they needed to survive in case they got shot, but there were also so many emotions and feelings left behind by their fallen comrades and the families they had to leave behind. While enduring physical hell and trudging through battlefields, they had to suffer through the cries of their peers and the horrors of the potential to die at any moment.
Did Lieutenant Cross distance himself from Martha because he needed to? Did he put that split down because he didn't dare dream of her? Maybe he was trying to make it impersonal, make sure that he didn't have any hookups keeping him from his duty. No holds barred. Cross was ready for death now that he had left Martha behind, which is sad to think about. Can you only accept death once you've let go of the people you care about?
It's a current American favorite, but I do think the experience of reading it for Creative Writing class is different than reading it for a college or high school lit class. You're misusing the term personification (since the bags aren't people); you're really talking about the metaphor that drives the story.
ReplyDeleteYour interpretation @ the end -- that he's ready for death -- is somewhat different from what we discussed in class, though it's interesting.