In “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, he describes war, memory, and imagination through the coping mechanism of storytelling. He incorporates heavy symbolism in order to present his audience with the realities of war. For instance, the character Kiowa in
O’Brien’s novel carried many symbolic things, both physical and abstract. O’Brien’s inclusion of physical items the soldiers carried served as an opportunity to reflect upon their individual attributes. The things Kiowa carried are indicated in the quote, “…a devout Baptist, carried an illustrated New Testament.” Being a dedicated participant in this religion, it is no surprise that Kiowa carries a Bible. O’Brien includes the details of this tangible object to symbolize the less …show more content…
Additionally, Kiowa carries “his grandfather’s old hunting hatchet.” The hatchet represents Kiowa’s inner and unseen violence; after all, he is fighting a war. He hedges his bets accordingly by taking along a symbol of his faith, but another symbol of his more violent side.
The hatchet and Bible that Kiowa carries are quite contradictory; however, they both represent important aspects of his personality and contribute to the overall symbolism in the novel. The extra belongings that the soldiers chose to carry are very richly symbolic and cast light on the characters themselves and moreover, their attitude toward the war, life, and their situations. The author also conveys many abstract tings that the soldiers carried. Kiowa carried a surplus of items, this time abstract, but equally as symbolic and important as the physical items.
For example, “Kiowa also carried his grandmother’s distrust of the white man.” This time,
Kiowa carries the abstract notion of distrust with him. This will come too affect him later on, and can be seen as a symbol of all of America’s collective distrust against the communist regime in
Vietnam. Kiowa also carries his Christian values with him. Likewise comes responsibility,