Things They Carried †Coping Mechanisms - 1529 Words

The Things They Carried –Coping Mechanisms to Survive During the Vietnam war, soldiers were not exposed to the traditional coping mechanisms of our American society, as illustrated in Tim Obrien s The Things They Carried. These men were forced to discover and invent new ways to deal with the pressures of war, using only their resources while in the Vietnamese jungle. It was not possible for any soldier to carry many items or burdens with them, but if something was a necessity, a way was found to carry it, and coping mechanisms were a necessity to survive the war. Anti-depressants, psychiatrists, massages...there are many different things offered in American society today to help individuals fight the stress of life.†¦show more content†¦O Brien illustrates to us the necessity for each man to be connected to their old life, telling a story of Mark Fossie flying in his girlfriend to ease his loneliness (104-05). Each soldier found himself facing insurmountable barriers throughout the war, and these small effects and coping mechanisms were often the only necessity that would give them reason to return home again. They needed personal methods of coping with the war, and this primeval survival was the only way to remain a man. Sometimes, however, no matter how much a soldier tried to find escapes for himself, obstacles would come in their way and force men to find other means of coping with reality. Many times this extra stress would come after a soldier killed someone, and felt overwhelming guilt for taking another human life. In The Things they Carried, there are not thousands of examples of this form of death, but we are made aware of one specific story. O Brien tells us about the man he killed, and the difficulty in releasing his guilt in this matter. He more than once describes the man in great detail, almost attempting to clear the event out of his mind even though he claims he did not look on [his] work as therapy (139, 179). This is a time when the best coping mechanism the men have is time and open ears. As they drag Tim away from the scene after giving him a few minutes to accept and process the death, Kiowa urges to talk (144). This is the only way he canShow MoreRelatedThe Effect Of War On Econ omy1547 Words   |  7 Pagesother. War has been an important factor in creating states and empires throughout history and, equally so, in destroying them. While one may argue the positive effects of war on economy, the miseries it brings to human life can’t be denied. Wars are carried out on the battlefield by armies comprised of soldiers of the contending nations. Irrespective of which side they are on, soldiers bear the most punitive impact of war. Soldiers stay under constant threat to their lives in war zone. 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