The struggle of weight in The Things They Carried by Tim O'BrienThe Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines the word "weight" as "a mass or quantity of something taken and transported, transported or carried." Tim O'Brien's war story The Things They Carried, published in 1990, explores in depth the theme of weight and its importance for men at war. The opening chapter of this book, originally written as a short story, consists of a collection of lists. O'Brien details for his reader both the physical objects, such as cigarettes, C-rations, and packets of Kool-Aid, and the more intangible things, such as fear and silent amazement, that weigh these soldiers down. With the space the author devotes to enumerating the weight of these objects, one might assume that these objects are what is truly important to these soldiers, but in reality it is the incalculable weight of their spiritual burdens that really weighs them down. For the reader, it is strange to be immediately confronted with this catalog of objects, but O'Brien has a clear purpose in presenting his characters in this way. In between these item lists we also get the reveal of key plot points, like when Dave Jensen carried three pairs of socks and a can of Dr. Scholl's foot powder as a precaution against trench foot. Before he was shot, Ted Lavender was carrying six or seven ounces of premium drugs, which was a necessity for him (O'Brien, 4). O'Brien gives great meaning to these details by incorporating them in this way. When flipping through these lists, the reader becomes desensitized, but by interspersing these mundane elements... middle of the paper... The theme of emotional burden and its effect on soldiers in the Vietnam conflict is one that O' Brien counters. By placing physical objects alongside intangibles like emotions in a list format, O'Brien forces the reader to recognize the weight and effect of both of these things on the person carrying them. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross's internal fear of being the cause of Ted Lavender's death was symbolized by the pebble and Martha's letters. He felt that by burning the photos he was conquering his fear, even though no one can simply burn away their emotions. To some extent, these men are defined by the things they bring with them: "And for all the ambiguities of Vietnam, all the mysteries and unknowns, there was at least the one constant certainty that they would never run out of things". bring" (O'Brien, 16).