Female Characters In The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

In Tim O’Brien’s “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong,” Mary Anne Bell’s evolution into adulthood is driven by her acquisition of the knowledge that she is a predator. From the beginning, she is absorbed by the carnage and danger of war, even “fascinated by it. Not the gore so much, but the adrenaline buzz that went with the job” (O’Brien 7). Mary Anne accepts, and even welcomes, her predator lifestyle, and presents herself as “someone perfectly at peace with herself” (O’Brien 17). Mary Anne may crave the kill because it gives her a goal and an objective, while life as Mark Fossie’s wife would not provide such a purpose.

Though some were beneficial in helping them return home, some were fatal distractions. The author Tim O’Brien shows us these items to help us identify who these men were and what they could not leave behind. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross brought letters that a woman named Martha whom he was infatuated with wrote for him. The two were not in a relationship but in Jimmy’s mind, they were. The letters he kept from Martha were not love letters but Jimmy had felt they were in a romantic relationship.

Mary Anne Bell was a young girl who was brought to Vietnam by her boyfriend Mark. She was known to be, “coy and flirtatious” (O’Brien 91). She was always curious, asking lots of questions about things. She started to get more distant from Mark.

People all across the world carry a variety of objects and emotions. Specifically, in the novel The Things They Carried by Tim O’ Brien characters carry certain objects that act as coping mechanisms throughout the war. Three characters that dealt with the Vietnam War through the use of objects were Henry Dobbins, Jimmy Cross, and Kiowa. Henry Dobbins is described as being a large bodied man and that is why he is company’s machine gunner. In addition to carrying his machine gun along with the ammo strapped across his chest, he wears his girlfriend’s pantyhose around his neck.

A much bigger comparison is with Mary Ann Bell of The Things They Carried and Bunny from Platoon. Both find war as almost a free-for-all fest that they are capable of having a little fun in. The necklace of tongues worn by Bell, for example, in contrast with the funny-looking furry tail attached to Bunny’s helmet, therefore shows the enthusiasm they both had for combat.

In 1945, during World War II, roles of women varied from building ships and weaponry to nurses working on the front lines. In the novel, The Things They Carried, women have overlapping and contrasting responsibilities during the Vietnam War. Propaganda boosted civilian morale during the WWII; similarly, women boosted the morale of soldiers during the Vietnam War. Two women, Martha and Dobbins unnamed girlfriend, demonstrated throughout the book the role of women to First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and Henry Dobbins, respectively.

She turned into a woman she never thought she’d be. Seen but never heard. Appearance became everything.

Many people try escaping the draft of war usually fleeing to another country. In the book, The Things They Carried, the author Tim O’ Brien considered fleeing to Canada when he discovered he was going to be sent to Vietnam. Though he had the opportunity too, O’ Brien decided not to flee so he would not disappoint his family and friends. However, during the war he wrote segments, or chapters, of his life pertaining events that occurred while he was away in Vietnam. O’ Brien included information that was not normally discussed in war such as events that occurred, actions performed, or visuals seen.

There were many different type of women in the novel The Things They Carried. These roles of women were displayed in Martha, Linda and Kathleen the most. In my opinion Linda has one of the most important/impactful roles in the novel. Linda is Obrien’s child hood first love. Unfortunately she died at the age of nine because of a brain tumor.

Mary Anne Bell’s character shows how much war really changes someone. She was shipped over to Vietnam by her boyfriend, Mark Fossie, at just seventeen years of age. She was an innocent, young and pretty girl from Cleveland Heights. When she first arrived,

Mary Anne is flown over by Mark to Vietnam and at first the two are inseparable and extremely happy to be together. Mary Anne is fascinated with everything that is going on in Vietnam. From the culture and lifestyle of the native people to how to shoot a gun, Mary Anne wants to learn all about life in Vietnam. Soon Mary Anne becomes so obsessed with the war that she goes out on an ambush in the middle of the night with the Green Berets (O’Brien 97). Mark Fossie is enraged that Mary Anne would go off on an ambush.

As she becomes engaged in the war Mary Anne evolves to embrace the savage beauty of the land and is lured by the mysteriousness of war. Mary Anne’s presence represents a semblance of normalcy and beauty, contrasting with the harsh realities and horror of combat. This beauty lies in her determination to follow her heart despite the dangers surrounding her. Her interest with Vietnamese culture and integration into their way of life reveals both the allure and the terrifying consequences of war. The beauty lies in her curiosity and willingness to embrace new experiences, even in the midst of a war zone.

There were three types of women in The Things They Carried. These roles of women, displayed in Martha, Linda and Kathleen, were love, death, and an enabler. The following explanation defines their role in the novel and the impact they made. Martha is Lt. Jimmy Cross’s love, even though she has only considers him as a friend. O’Brien’s uses their story to show a common trend between soldiers and the separation created by the war.

Troops were streaming back to MaryAnn’s hometown of St. Helens, many of them leaving their humanity on the battlefield with their slain comrades. Though MaryAnn didn’t have any close family or friends who were in the service, her heart still ached for the pained, heartbroken and lonely. She didn’t like to see people torn. She wanted to help them; she wanted them to know that His eye was on the sparrow, and that He would watch out for them. MaryAnn was born on August 30th, 1930 in St. Helens, Oregon to Swedish immigrants Gunnar and Anna Levin.

When we dragged them out, the girl kept dancing"(Pg.129). War will destroy your humanity and innocence, and there will be no mercy. It will destroy the most innocent of people. The destruction of humanity and innocence is not something good to hear, it 's horrific and shocking, it 's a terrible thing. The destruction of humanity and innocence was also seen when a soldier, Mark Fossie, invited his girlfriend, Mary Anne, to visit.