Women In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

1775 Words8 Pages
Bertrand Russell said that “Love is something far more than desire for sexual intercourse; it is the principal means of escape from the loneliness which afflicts most men and women throughout the greater part of their lives (Brainy Quote).”What is the psychological influence women have on men in war? This is a topic explored in Tim O’Brien’s novel, The Things They Carried. This novel is a collection of twenty-two fictional stories that focus on a platoon of soldier’s struggle and their experiences in the Vietnam War. Throughout the novel, there are many themes being presented, one of which is the role of women. It can be argued, however, that while the role the women play in this novel is overlooked, they are very influential. The men romanticize…show more content…
But he was not there. He was buried with Martha under the white sand at the Jersey shore. They were pressed together, and the pebble in his mouth was her tongue. He was smiling. Vaguely, he was aware of how quiet the day was, the sullen paddies, yet he could not bring himself to worry about matters of security. He was beyond that. He was just a kid at war, in love. He was twenty-four years old. He couldn't help it.(O’Brien 16)” When the war becomes too much for Jimmy Cross to bear uses his thoughts of Martha to comfort him. The pebble symbolizes what Martha means to him. .Because Martha had this great influence on him, he later went to the author of this novel and asked him make him out to be a good guy, brave and handsome so that maybe she might read about him and come begging for him.( O’Brien 16 )It can be argued that Martha is Jimmy Cross’s good luck charm. She’s his distraction from all the gruesome things going on around him. She’s his reason to survive the…show more content…
He also had a habit of wearing his girlfriend’s stockings around his neck. “He liked putting his nose into the nylon and breathing in the scent of his girlfriend's body; he liked the memories this inspired; he sometimes slept with the stockings up against his face, the way an infant sleeps with a flannel blanket, secure and peaceful” (O’Brien 114). Why would a guy like Henry Dobbins wear a woman’s pantyhose around his neck? It was his one eccentricity. The pantyhose, he said, had the properties of a good-luck charm. More than anything, though, the stockings were a talisman for him. They kept him
Show More
Related

  • Women In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

    831 Words  | 4 Pages

    Women are sporadically mentioned in Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried,” yet their presence is felt strongly throughout the story. In most war tales, and certainly in reality, many of the men on tour have women they yearn to be with and fight to live another day in hopes of seeing that special someone one day in the future. In “The Things They Carried,” many of the material objects carried are essential to survival and mentioned in the short story. Objects ranging from M&Ms to guns, and dog tags

    Read More

More about Women In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

Open Document