Kameron Kiburz 1/20/2013 Intl 3111 The Things They Carried microtheme In Tim OBriens The Things They

Carried there are several overlying themes that are represented by the repetition of binary opposites throughout the short story. The binary opposite that I will be focusing on is weight versus weightlessness. Nearly every single paragraph within this work contains an example of how much something weighs. Whether it is how many pounds an assault rifles, candy, or personal items such as Lieutenant Crosss photographs of Martha. Letters, ammunition and grenades are all examples of physical weight that the soldiers carried along with them. Each of these items are able to be measured if they were placed on a scale. However physical weight is not the only type of weight that the soldiers carried along with them as they were under duress in times of war. They carried emotional turmoil which weighed just as heavily as their physical weight expressed in their grief, aloneness, pain, and most importantly fear. Even though their weight cannot be quantified upon a scale, it bore down upon the soldiers heavily and controlled their actions in a similar way that carrying unnecessary ammunition would make them slow and sluggish. Everything that the soldiers carried with them had weight, but the physical aspect of weight could be easily thrown out and tossed aside if they intended to make their travels easier by throwing away the items they knew would soon be restocked the next day. The emotional stress and fatigue couldnt be as easily tossed aside, if it were able to

be tossed aside at all. The fear of dying weighed heavily in each of the soldiers and there was no speech or fancy gun that would take that immense pressure away from them. Everything in the story has weight except for death and freedom. When a soldier dies, his physical weight has no impact just as their emotional burdens would be relinquished. If a soldier were to be sent home it would be described as a feeling of weightlessness as their responsibility to fight in the war would vanquish.