The Things They Carried Symbolism Essay

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Riddled with symbolism, the novel The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is able to form a dense and intricate meaning to the work. Tim O’Brien creates everything in the novel a symbol; its structure, plot and characters within it all represent different ideas and concepts that adapt to different themes in the play. An important symbol O’Brien employs is that of a young girl, Mary Anne who was a soldier’s girlfriend. This girl, is said to have come visit the soldier in Vietnam. Although its unrealistic nature, this occurrence symbolizes the imperialistic approach America took in Vietnam and the effects it cause on people. When Mary Anne first arrives everyone is in awe and disbelief. She is described as a young and innocent girl who brings …show more content…
She begins to volunteer and learn the soldier’s everyday duties, helping with supplies and aiding in the medical tent. With each experience she felt a sense of excitement and wellness from being directly useful. Despite her innocence, she began to pursue more dangerous form of excitement like visiting nearby villages and taking a swim on a potentially fatal stream. This a direct resemblance to the United State’s attitude in Vietnam, seeking to stop communism from spreading. It began subtly, through a few subjects learning and influencing people through propaganda; however as time progressed, the United States became more aggressive, engulfed by the concept of Vietnam and the possible chain of dominos it could set off . The raw idea eventually pushed the United States as far as to involucrate itself in a completely unnecessary wars to stop it. Which is exactly parallel to what happened to Mary Anne. She becomes addicted to Vietnam, wanting to consume it and be part of it. As she ventures deeper and deeper into the mysterious world of Vietnam she becomes erratic and exponentially more attracted to the land up to the point where she takes off to explore alone not to be seen ever again . The symbol of Mary Anne alludes to the United State’s self-absorbed actions in Vietnam, that of acting based around its own goals, functioning not only as a historical reference but as
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