This paper examines Tim O'Brien's, "The Things They Carried," which is a compilation of several short stories or vignettes,
about the experiences of the men who fought in the Vietnam War. The
author uses commentary from two other literary sources who have analyzed the materials that were covered in O'Brien's book. The author discusses how O'Brien's background influenced the structure and content of the book. Some of the themes found in the different stories include courage, loneliness and memories and how the men carry all of these, along with their supplies, with them througout the war. This writer feels that it was the stories and the intimacy of the sharing of these feelings that helped many of these men survive the war, relatively intact.