Tim O’ Brian

There are many important factors in the novel The Things They Carried but the most important one was the concept of the female warrior being better than the male warrior. The character Mary Anne proves this point exceptionally. Although Mary Anne seems like a regular innocent girl, I contend that she became the most skillful and toughest soldier, because she was so close to the war and felt like it was where she belongs. Mary Anne is always looking for adventure. In a way she is almost fearless. Instead of being scared she thrives for adventure. When Mary Anne kept asking to visit the village everyone kept saying it was dangerous but she did not listen. She wanted to see how people lived, “The war intrigued her, the land too, and the mystery. At the beginning of her second week she began pestering Mark Fossie to take her out to the village even though it was dangerous and a bad idea” (91). She is always looking forward to adventure and she wasn’t even scared. The guys kept saying that it was dangerous and a bad idea but she didn’t listen. Mary Anne was also a quick learner. She didn’t waste her time doing nothing, she was always productive with her time. She wanted to learn new things and she learned them very well. She was very concentrative and serious about learning new things, “She was curious about things. During her first day she liked to roam around the compound asking questions. She had a quick mind and paid attention” (91). She was very curious on to learning new stuff that would help her. She didn’t want to waste her time doing nothing and she was dedicated on to learning about the war and the basics. Another reason why Mary Anne is the best soldier is because she feels at home when she is in Vietnam. She is not afraid of the hostility of the war. She feels perfectly fine just like its her home. The male soldiers can’t wait until