Figurative Form In The Things They Carried

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In Tim O’Brien’s compelling novel, “The Things They Carried”, the readers see numerous details in both literal and figurative forms, allowing one to conclude that the figurative weight is always a much greater burden than the tangible items; this idea is supported by the different members of the platoon and their interactions with each other. When the physical weight of their assorted items gets too heavy for them to handle, one can simply remove their bag and rest for awhile, but the figurative weight is much greater due to the fact that it cannot be removed. The emotional damage will stay with someone for a very long time, and often never goes away. An example of Tim O'Brien's figurative weight, in the beginning of the novel, would be the …show more content…
Berdhal is an older man who has lived long enough to have experienced first hand, far beyond anything Tim O’Brien could imagine. While in actuality, Elroy Berdhal didn’t say much, he provided O’Brien the time and space to evaluate his draft notice and truly contemplate on his life so far. “Some of this Elroy must’ve understood. Not the details, of course, but the plain fact of crisis. Although the old man never confronted me about it, there was one occasion when he came close to forcing the whole thing out into the open (Pg. 49).” This quote allows the reader to conclude the purpose Berdhal served in O’Brien’s journey was on a figurative level rather than physical. He never said anything, but his presence was enough. The figurative weight of Elroy convinced Tim O’Brien to join and fulfill his responsibility to the military. In conclusion, the author, Tim O’Brien uses his experiences as well as the other soldiers in his platoon, throughout his novel “The Things They Carried” to strengthen the idea of figurative burdens weighing more than any amount of physical weight one can carry and the duration of this emotional weight is incomparable to even the heaviest of
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