The Things They Carried

5 Pages 1194 Words

How does death affect the behavior of people? Although death affects everyone’s
behavior differently, knowledge of one’s imminent death is a main force behind
behavioral changes. This knowledge causes emotions that motivate people to look for
changes, that make them have to adjust. It makes them find different ways to cope with
war. This is the reason that causes the characters in a book called, The Things They
Carried, by Tim O’Brien to have to change due to their situation. They are in the Vietnam
war and the horror of death is always hanging over their heads. They have to find ways to
cope with that incomparable fright. Their knowledge of death and its closeness causes the
men in the story to alter their behavior by modifying emotions to relieve guilt, by
exhibiting different actions to ease anxiety, and for some by just losing humanity
thoroughly to excuse their actions.

Guilt is a very strong emotion, and it demands adjustment very rapidly. Guilt
makes a person regret how they ignored their values, and ideas, and the demand for
adjustment comes from wanting to not repeat the misjudgment of their actions. Some try
to substitute the guilt with other emotions, for example, some make jokes. Azar, for
instance made fun of a little girl whose whole family had just died, “..., Azar mocked the
girl’s dancing. He did funny jumps and spins. He put his palms of his hands against his
ears, and danced sideways for a while, and then backwards, and then did an erotic thing
with his hips”(pg.136). For him, the situation grows lighter with laughter. Even though he
knows nothing is funny about the situation, he trys to replace the guilt with humor. He
even went as far as to make fun of someone’s death, “ “ A classic case,” Azar was
saying. “ Biting the dirt, so to speak, that tells the story.” ” ( pg.168). He makes jokes, he
knows its not funny, but he makes jokes. He makes jokes not for others, b...