The Things They Carried Literary Analysis

The Things They Carried: Ideas for Researched Writing (#2) Tim O’ Brien’s story “The Things They Carried” received very positive reviews from critics. The review that stood out to me the most was by Richmond Times-Dispatch from Powells Books. I also gathered a few other analyses that have similar reactions but different interpretations. A review by John Greenya in the book reviews section of The Washington Times. I also found two independent reviews intriguing. One by Julie Moore, submitted on Yahoo Voices, and the other by Amanda on the website Good Reads. Being able to see the different viewpoints and interpretations on this story, truly shows that this author puts together a wonderful story, but ensures that there is plenty of room …show more content…
Greenya focuses a lot on the misconception that many have on the term fiction. Maybe the characters or the exact representation of what happened when O’Brien was at war aren’t true. Everything that the author tells about in this story could be inspired by true events, or did happen to a certain extent. The story is trying to give you a feel of what Vietnam was like and not the author’s exact experience. Greenya really tries to emphasize O’Brien’s writing style, describing it as simple but heartfelt. He also talks about the things that they carried with them. How it starts with tangible or physical objects that make you wonder where the story is going with that. It shifts to the more meaningful things that they carried whether it was emotional baggage or memories. Through the repetitive structure, whether it’s repeating characters or the things they carried, I related to the critic in that you get to know each individual’s personality through the things that they …show more content…
Amanda’s review on this story really tries to explain how this contrasts with other typical stories about the subject of war. She also points out how the structure of the story is unconventional, yet it is delivered so well. The technique used is not about the action going on, but the emotions attached to that action. I read many more reviews outside of these. The ones that I chose to summarize were the ones that I related to the most. Everyone has their own opinion when it comes to dissecting what is actually trying to be told from a literary piece. I believe that all of these interpretations of “The Things They Carried” were somewhat intertwined to best describe how I reacted to the story. Yet there was also things that were brought up that I didn’t think about but when I read it, I agreed or said “That’s what the author meant by