“I’d come to this war a quiet, thoughtful sort of person, a college grad, Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude, all the credentials, but after seven months in the bush I realized that those high, civilized trappings had somehow been crushed under the weight of the simple daily realities. I’d turned mean inside” (O'Brien 4). As the Alpha company of soldiers carries a handful of memories and along with them, The Things They Carried gives a reason behind each thing the soldiers carry. Some things may contain sentimental value, while others are for health and fighting purposes. The soldiers have to deal with death and learn to persevere through the hardships. The theme of The Things They Carried is the physical and emotional effects of being a soldier …show more content…
While Cross blamed himself for this case, he dealt with the grief and disappointment himself and knew he had let himself down. The theme of the physical and emotional effects of being a soldier is shown through Kiowa. Kiowa talked things through with everyone and took value into other's thoughts. “Kiowa admired Lieutenant Jimmy Cross's capacity for grief. He wanted to share the man's pain, he wanted to care, as Jimmy Cross cared. And yet when he closed his eyes, all he could think was Boom-down, and all he could feel was the pleasure of having his boots off and the fog curling in around him and the damp soil and the Bible smells and the plush comfort of night” (O’Brien 13). Kiowa cared for everyone in ways most didn't. He would feel guilty and grieved by others' pain, even if the pain did not involve him. As a soldier, Kiowa is someone whom all soldiers trusted, resulting in an emotional effect on Kiowa. In conclusion, the theme of the physical and emotional effects of being a soldier is shown throughout the characters of Tim O’Brien, Jimmy Cross, and Kiowa. Furthermore, Tim O’Brien represents this theme by dealing with tragic incidents and losing