The Things They Carried

Enemies & Friends

Enemies:

O'Brien recalled a fight one morning between Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk over a jackknife that Strunk had stolen from Jensen. It resulted in Strunk breaking his nose because of Jensen repeatedly hitting him. After the fight Jenson became incredibly nervous that Strunk was going to get even with him, Jensen was always on edge never letting his guard down because he had no idea when revenge would be coming. Eventually Jensen uses the butt of a pistol to break his own nose so they could finally be even. But what Jensen didn't know was that they were already even because Strunk did steal his jackknife..

Friends:

After their spat Jensen and Strunk learn to trust each other and become pretty tight in the war. They make a pact with each other that if one gets seriously injured the other would put them out of their misery. During the chapter Strunk's lower leg gets blown off and he keeps begging Jensen not to kill him, a helicopter came to get him but he did not survive the flight. 

 

Reflection:

I believe O'Brien included these chapters to show how crazy war could make you. Jensen could not and would not let his mind rest and he went almost insane, he was crazy enough to break his own nose. He also included it to show how war can bring some people together and gets them to work out their differences. No matter who it is when you are at war with the same person enemies can become friends especially is your life depends on them. It was also very petty to get in a fight over a knife, showing that the soldiers were still young and immature. It is also very realistic with the use of the pact how both Jensen and Strunk were sure that they did not want to live in a wheelchair and the other would put them out of their misery yet, when the time came both of them did not want what they said.



 

The Gender Blur

By: Deborah Blum

Summary:

In the "Gender Blur" Blum is questioning the theory of Nature vs. Nurture. Is the way you envision yourself as a person, male or female, purely genetics and biology or the way you were raised and through behavior. Blum touches on the fact that men tend to be more aggressive than females, which could be caused biologically from male's large amount of testosterone. Are children conditioned to be a certain way? Once born a baby is immediately dressed as a boy or a girl, and get to play with certain toys based on their sex,  boys are held strictly to trucks and dinosaurs as girls get dolls. If a boy does not obtain a certain amount of testosterone will he be more feminine? The question of Nature vs. Nurture is unclear but future studies might reveal an answer.

 

Response:

It is tough to tell whether it is all biological or just us humans following social norms. In my own opinion I think of it as a mixture of both, yes the level of testosterone in your body is a factor just like every other neurotransmitter is a factor, but I do feel that people's social upbringing has a huge role. If you were a girl and your parents dressed you as a boy and gave you all of the toys a boy would most likely play with it is highly likely you would start school and relate more with the young boys in your class possibly causing you to feel more like a boy and growing up thinking of yourself more in that way. Biology is a main factor but the opinion of others and socialization I think has a bigger impact.



 

 

The Things They Carried

By Tim O'Brien

"Love"

Summary

Many years after the war, Jimmy Cross goes to visit Tim O’Brien at his Massachusetts home. They spend their visit drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, and reminiscing with old photographs. When an old picture of Ted Lavender comes up, Cross confides in Tim by saying that he has never forgiven himself for Lavender’s death. They spend more time on the happy memories and then Tim finally asks Cross about how things ended up with Martha. Cross says when they were finally reacquainted at a college reunion, they spent most of their time catching up. She became a Lutheran missionary and never married saying she didn’t know why. During their time together Cross took a leap of faith and told her he loved her and never got an answer in return. He also told her about the night they went to see Bonnie and Clyde, all he’d wanted to do was to take her home and tie her to her bed so he could touch her knee all night long. Martha sharply replied that she didn’t understand how men could do such things. At breakfast the following morning she apologized and gave him another snapshot of the picture he had burned after Lavender's death. Cross claims he still loves Martha, after that she wasn't brought up again. As Cross was about to leave Tim asks for his consent in writing a story about some of the things they talked about. Cross says yes and to make him look good but not to mention a certain something.

Reflection

Martha was a form of comfort to Cross during the war, thinking of her made him feel that everything would be okay and that she could possibly be home waiting for his return. She gave him hope. This demonstrates how some men after the war came home and nothing was how they had hoped. I feel conflicted on whether or not Cross is really in love, that word is not to throw out into the world lightly. He and Martha had only went on a single date to go see Bonnie and Clyde, but I guess some people believe in love at first sight? Another thing I question is whether or not Tim O'Brien kept his word to Cross by not including that certain something in his writing, he could have very well included it but us readers not know because he did not say what he wanted left out, or did he keep his word and not put it in his book?