Stress In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

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Soldiers Deeper Wounds Soldiers go through a great deal of stress during times of war as well as times of peace. The military world is not as “bad ass” as Hollywood and video games make it out to be. While shooting weapons and being in great physical condition is ideal, there is a lot more to it than what meets the eye. Soldiers are exposed to an enormous amount of stress whether it’s from combat or because they are responsible for performing countless tasks every day while being away from family and friends for months or even years. Most of these soldiers go back home from seeing the horrors of war and get put in a society that most likely did not experience anything closed to what they experienced. This also helps to feed the mental illness…show more content…
The main character in the segment of the story that we read, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross goes through multiple phases, which indicate that he is already suffering from some kind of mental illness or breakdown. During the time that LT Cross spent in the Vietnam War, he became emotionless towards his comrades and was what we call “home sick”, dwelling in Martha who never had the intentions of loving him more than just a friend. He spent most of his time day dreaming about her. LT Cross seemed to be facing a case of “Battle Fatigue” or “combat Stress”. He stopped caring about his Position as the leader during his mission, which could have caused Ted Lavenders death. In the middle of the war he continuously had flashbacks of Lavenders death. This is proof that he was suffering from some kind of mental illness at the time. Soldiers don’t only get physical wounds but they also receive mental wounds deep within them. They might get better with treatment or they might get worse, affecting the people around them. Some individuals cannot deal with the mental wound within them and take the shorter route, terminating their lives and their
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    from post-traumatic stress disorder, or more commonly known as P.T.S.D. Post-traumatic stress disorder is caused by witnessing or being apart of an event that caused physical harm or physical harm was threatened. A soldier in war has to deal with events like that almost daily. While the fighting in war causes physical harm to the body, it is often overlooked the physiological impact that war has on the mind. The experience of war, as shown through the book the The Things They Carried, an interview with

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