Throughout The Things They Carried, one can see the theme of the loss of innocence being portrayed through the characters. The soldiers that were sent to fight in Vietnam were young men in their early twenties. In the chapter “Spin,” we see Azar attaching a bomb to Ted Lavender’s puppy. When asked why he had done it, Azar did not respond with a solid answer instead he stated: “What’s everybody so upset about? I mean, Christ I’m just a boy” (35). O’Brien often states that the soldiers acted childlike because they were so young and innocent. They were not prepared for the different things they were going to experience during war, which in the end took away their innocence. In the chapter “Sweetheart Song of Tra Bong,” the loss of innocence is evident in the case of Mary Anne. Mary Anne was a young girl that was snuck into their military base to be with her boyfriend. As she spent time with the boys, she began to learn their ways. She helped around the base by aiding the soldiers that were trying to save the lives of the injured soldiers, who were transported to their base. Mary Anne soon became one of the guys. She did not wear any make up nor did she care about her appearance. Mary Anne went as far as participating in ambushes with the Greenies. After having discovered the surrounding area, Mary Anne felt as if she was part of the jungle, and did not want to leave. Mary Anne no longer opened up to her boyfriend or the other soldiers, instead she seemed distant and uninterested in what they had to say. O’Brien states that she was only seventeen: “Just a child, blond and innocent…” (100). Mary Anne lost her innocence; she no longer wanted to be the ordinary teenager with a boyfriend, instead she chose to become one with the jungle. Mary Anne became addicted with the “hunt.” She was so consumed into her new lifestyle that she would risk her own life in instances where the Greenies would refuse. Mary Anne was changed by her war experiences.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Theme in The Things They Carried
Throughout The Things They Carried, one can see the theme of the loss of innocence being portrayed through the characters. The soldiers that were sent to fight in Vietnam were young men in their early twenties. In the chapter “Spin,” we see Azar attaching a bomb to Ted Lavender’s puppy. When asked why he had done it, Azar did not respond with a solid answer instead he stated: “What’s everybody so upset about? I mean, Christ I’m just a boy” (35). O’Brien often states that the soldiers acted childlike because they were so young and innocent. They were not prepared for the different things they were going to experience during war, which in the end took away their innocence. In the chapter “Sweetheart Song of Tra Bong,” the loss of innocence is evident in the case of Mary Anne. Mary Anne was a young girl that was snuck into their military base to be with her boyfriend. As she spent time with the boys, she began to learn their ways. She helped around the base by aiding the soldiers that were trying to save the lives of the injured soldiers, who were transported to their base. Mary Anne soon became one of the guys. She did not wear any make up nor did she care about her appearance. Mary Anne went as far as participating in ambushes with the Greenies. After having discovered the surrounding area, Mary Anne felt as if she was part of the jungle, and did not want to leave. Mary Anne no longer opened up to her boyfriend or the other soldiers, instead she seemed distant and uninterested in what they had to say. O’Brien states that she was only seventeen: “Just a child, blond and innocent…” (100). Mary Anne lost her innocence; she no longer wanted to be the ordinary teenager with a boyfriend, instead she chose to become one with the jungle. Mary Anne became addicted with the “hunt.” She was so consumed into her new lifestyle that she would risk her own life in instances where the Greenies would refuse. Mary Anne was changed by her war experiences.
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Interesting point about her becoming a part of the jungle. One can even suggest that the the jungle engulfed her, possessed her and took her as a prisoner of war. The jungle seems to be personified as an enemy on its own. She became a part of strong and fearful enemy partly because the soldiers do not recognize the jungle as a powerful enemy, but as a scary obstacle.
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