Throughout the short stories in The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien creates a diverse group of characters with his collective explanations of what they individually possessed. One of O'Brien's characters, Kiowa, carries both physical and mental things during the Vietnam war that defines his disposition as both a young soldier and an average human being.
Each physical belonging carried, gave individuality to those who possessed it; including Kiowa. The important belonging Kiowa carried is described by O'Brien as an "illustrated New Testament that had been presented to him by his father." Kiowa's Bible symbolizes his obvious faith and devotion which help him get through the war. By Kiowa choosing the Bible as one of his most important items …show more content…
It is explicitly stated that Kiowa "carried his grandmother's distrust for the white man." This mental ideal Kiowa possess' is extremely significant to him as a person because he chose to keep the mindset of his grandmother possibly due to the eruption of the Vietnam war. It can be concluded that the distrust carries on because the "white man", who is a symbol of the white majority of government, is most directly to blame for the Vietnam war that Kiowa now has to fight in. Going further, it can also be seen that Kiowa has exceptions to his distrust when it is revealed that O'Brien and Kiowa "had been close buddies" and he tried to cheer up O'Brien when he killed a man once by stating, "we all had him zeroed." Kiowa exemplified his friendship and care for many of the soldiers which help the audience understand that Kiowa's distrust was more of a symbolic jab at the power the white population had in the powerful roles such as government. By contrasting his distrust mentality and his friendly actions in the war, he can be looked at as a normal human who cares for others, but still keeps his distrust as a tool to find someone to blame during the hardships he