"The Things They Carried"- archetypes in context

After reading “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, I started thinking about archetypal symbols and characters in the context of war. In class, we have been discussing how archetypes are reflective of the culture that created them. It is interesting to think about these symbols as little carriers of that certain culture as they travel abroad. “The Things They Carried” is all about the things that the American soldiers brought with them around Vietnam. Each symbol represents a small aspect of American culture in the midst of the Vietnam War. For example, earlier in the story, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross describes Martha, the girl he left at home. He pretty much creates the image of the archetypal “virgin” character that we, as American readers, are familiar with. However, this archetypal character does not stand isolated in American culture. Instead, the archetype is introduced within the context of the Vietnam War. In my opinion, the context quickly gives an alternate view on the archetype. At home, Martha might have been an innocent tease, a pure virgin. However, in Vietnam with Jimmy Cross, Martha causes a lot more than innocent trouble… The thought of her that haunts Jimmy Cross may have cost on of the men’s lives.

There were many archetypal symbols that I pulled out from “The Things They Carried.” I felt most of these archetypes symbolized strong emotions that are essential in a time of war: fear, luck/hopefulness, numbness, rage, etc. I think the symbols have very strong connections to emotions in this particular context, because people’s emotions are so intense during a time of war.

One archetypal character in this story is the idea of the “macho man.” This one line in particular really stuck out to me when reading: “They died so not to die of embarrassment.” The men in the story struggled to keep their true emotions calm and hidden and to appear macho- stone cold. I guess it is some of the archetypes (the letters, photos, good luck charms, etc.) that actually give their real feelings away.