Enveloping Action In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

Enveloping action plays an essential role in how a reader perceives the plot within a story. As defined in The Glossary of Literary Terms, enveloping action is, “The general setting of a story including its sense of historical period or culture. This term- popularized by the New York Critics, also covers how characters interact with events and social currents going on in the larger world around them” (Literary Terms, 910). Instead of observing at what lies solely on the surface, enveloping action is meant to examine the plot at a new and deeper level. In the short story, The Things They Carried, the plot and setting might seem easy to figure out. Instead of just looking at the setting, by using enveloping action the reader is able to establish …show more content…
It can help set the mood, influence the way characters behave, affect the dialog, foreshadow events, invoke an emotional response, reflect the society in which the characters live, and sometimes even plays a part in the story. It can also be a critical element in nonfiction as the setting provides the framework for what is being discussed” (The Writing Place). In order for the setting to flourish in a story, it is crucial for the details to be precise and descriptive. On the flip side, having too much sensory details can ruin the story. Furthermore, giving a complete background of where the scene takes place could overwhelm the reader and turn them off to the rest of the book. By giving the story the pertinent amount of details, the reader is able to construct the setting and scene themselves, which keeps the story flowing forward instead of …show more content…
Looking at the title alone, the reader can safely infer that something is being carried, and that's exactly what O'Brien writes about. The book shows two different types of baggage, physical and intangible. Some of the physical items include books, gear, and mementos while the intangible things range from guilt to love. The importance of these various items outline who each character is. Besides carrying their gear, each solider carries fear and sadness for their safety and for those who they long to see. But, the main character Jimmy Cross carries more than the rest of his men; he carries the responsibility of keeping these men safe and keeping them alive. As the story progresses, there are comparisons between war and love relating to the physical objects that are being