Analyze- "The Things They Carried"

The story The Things They Carried is told from the point of view of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross while in the Vietnam War. He gave vivid descriptions of the heavy burdens of war and how they effected soldiers individually and as a group. The things they carried were not only physical, but mental or emotional. “The Things they carried were largely determined by necessity (367).” He spoke a great deal of the immense amount of equipment carried in war like guns, grenades, morphine, food, and letters/photographs just to name a few. The mental and emotional burdens include guilt, fear, loss, and love. “They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing-these were intangible, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight. They carried shameful memories (381).” These emotional burdens seemed to keep them from performing at full potential more so then the tiring weight of ammunition, water, radios, and other survival items.  "Lavender was dead. You couldn't burn the blame (383)." The language used in the story is direct/ concrete and the tone varied from  neutral and descriptive, to guilt and anger, and ended with a reassuring change in attitude towards responsibility. "There was that new hardness in his stomach. He loved her but he hated her (383)." Throughout the story the author uses irony to mask tragedy and vulgarities to lighten the terror that is war.  "They would police up their acts. They would get their shit together, and keep it together, and maintain it neatly and in good working order (384)."