The weight struggle in The Things They Carried by Tim O'BrienThe Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines the word "weight" as "a mass or quantity" of something taken and carried, transported or transported. Tim O'Brien's war story The Things They Carried, published in 1990, explores in depth the theme of weight and its importance to men at war. The first chapter of this book, initially written as a short story, is composed of a collection of lists. O'Brien details for his reader both the physical objects, such as cigarettes, C-rations, and Kool-Aid packets, and the more intangible things, like the fear and silent awe, that weigh on these soldiers. With all the space the author gives to listing the weight of these objects, one might assume that it is these objects that are truly important to these soldiers, but in reality it is the incalculable weight of their spiritual burdens that really weighs down. For the reader, it is strange to immediately be presented with this catalog of objects, but O'Brien has a clear purpose in presenting his characters in this way. Amidst these long lists of items, we also get the reveal of key plot points, like when Dave Jensen wore three pairs of socks and a box of Dr. Scholl's foot powder as a precaution against the foot trenches. Until he was shot, Ted Lavender was carrying six or seven ounces of premium dope, which for him was a necessity (O'Brien, 4). O'Brien gives great meaning to these details by integrating them in this way. Going through these lists, the reader becomes desensitized, but interspersing these mundane elements...... middle of paper ...... The theme of emotional weight and its effects on soldiers in the Vietnam conflict is in one which O'Brien tackles. By placing physical objects next to intangible things like emotions in a list, O'Brien forces his reader to recognize the weight and effect of both of these things on the person carrying them. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross's inner fear that he was the cause of Ted Lavender's death was symbolized by the rock and Martha's letters. He felt that by burning the images he was overcoming his fear, although no one can simply burn away their emotions. To some extent, these men are defined by the things they carry: "And for all the ambiguities of Vietnam, all the mysteries and unknowns, there was at least the one unshakeable certainty that they would never run out things to do. carry," (O'Brien, 16).