Tim O'Brien'sThe Things They Carried
Student Paper on M*A*S*H and Things They Carried
(to see the assignment this paper was written in response to, click here)
Emily Engel
English 102
M.J. Garcia
October 3, 2006
After viewing M*A*S*H and reading The Things They Carried, one can immediately see the superficial differences between the two. M*A*S*H is set during the Korean War, and The Things They Carried is set during the Vietnam War. M*A*S*H is a comedy, and The Things They Carried has a tone that was primarily serious. A more significant similarity is how both stories share the similar purpose of describing the personal relationships that form during war. M*A*S*H* and The Things They Carried focus on the “brotherhood” that forms as a result of soldiers being in war together.
The first type of relationship that will be discussed is the enemy turned friend. Both stories have an excellent example of this type of relationship. In The Things They Carried, we have the story of Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen. When we first read their story, we find them in the midst of a fistfight over a stolen jack knife. The fight comes to an end when Jensen “wrapped an arm around Strunk’s neck and pinned him down and kept hitting him on the nose. He hit him hard. And he didn’t stop.” Eventually “Strunk’s nose made a sharp snapping sound, like a firecracker,” implying that Jensen had broken Strunk’s nose (O’Brien 62). Fortunately, this was not the end of Jensen and Strunk. Jensen becomes so filled with paranoia that Strunk is going to get revenge that he “borrowed a pistol, griped it by the barrel, and used it like a hammer to break his own nose”(O’Brien 63). When he is done, he walks over to Strunk’s tent, shows him his matching broken nose, and asks Strunk if they are even. From this point on, not only are they even, but they become the best of friends. An example of the enemy turned friend (or more) in M*A*S*H is seen in the relationship between Duke Forrest and “Hot Lips” Houlihan. When they first meet, “Hot Lips” can barely stand Forrest. We also find that the feeling is mutual when Forrest is asked if he likes “Hot Lips.” His response is, “I can’t even stand to look at her”(Altman). However, by the end of the movie, we find these two sharing the same bed and by each other’s sides during most of movie.
Another type of friendship shown in both of these stories is the “best buddy/jokesters.” Basically, these are the friends that not only look out for one another, but they also make the war bearable by making each other laugh as often as they can. It’s obvious who the jokesters are in M*A*S*H; they are Hawkeye and Trapper John. They were friends from the start and are seen performing one stupid stunt after the next just to make each other laugh. Also, they help each other out of sticky situations in Japan as well as on the base (Altman). An example of this type of friendship in The Things They Carried is seen when we read about Rat and Curt Lemmon. We learn about their friendship from a letter that is sent to Lemmon’s sister after he died. Rat is so distraught at losing his friend that “he gets all teary telling about the good times they had together”(O’Brien 67). We learn more about the closeness of their friendship when we learn that Lemmon “made the war seem almost fun” for Rat (O’Brien 68). That Lemmon was “always raising hell” and making Rat laugh with his antics (O’Brien 68). It’s easy for one to see the close friendship and “brotherhood” that these two soldiers shared.
The third and final type of relationship discussed in this paper, is the relationship or dynamic between men and women during war. Given the time period in which both of these stories were set, sexism comes with the territory. However, it’s obvious in both stories that women are important to these men who are trapped in war. In M*A*S*H, one could see some fairly serious relationships form between the some of the doctors and nurses. For example, a relationship develops between Hawkeye and Dish (Altman). Despite declarations of love toward both of their spouses who are waiting at home for their return, one could see the need and respect they have for each other. One could also see that Hawkeye and Dish depended on each other for comfort and support during this stressful and dangerous time. In The Things They Carried, the female dynamic is seen in the chapter “Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong.” In this story, we have Mark Fossie who finds a way to have his grammar school sweetheart come to visit him in Vietnam. To hear Rat tell the story it’s obvious that she was important to more people than Fossie. When she comes to the camp Rat describes her having “long white legs and blue eyes and a complexion like strawberry ice cream”(O’Brien 93). The minute she arrives the whole camp is drawn to the girl with “bubbly personality” and “a happy smile”(O’Brien 95). It becomes apparent that the men at this camp needed someone; or rather they needed a distraction from the hell that they were living in. Mary Anne Bell becomes important to all of them, and later in the story when she “disappears,” it’s obvious that Mark Fossie isn’t the only one who is concerned for her. They all looked at her fate as a tragedy of war, and it becomes clear that they all miss her presence.
In conclusion, one could see how both of these stories were really about the relationships and liaisons that form between men and women during the hellish times of war. Examples of these relationships are found when we look at “Hawkeye” and “Trapper John,” and Curt Lemmon and Rat Kiley. The examples of the enemies turned friends are found when we read about Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen, and “Hot Lips” and Duke Forrest. The insight that both The Things They Carried and M*A*S*H gave into the lives of men and women at war were interesting at times, and sad at other times. Basically, these stories were about human relationships and how they are formed and affected by war.
O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. New York: Broadway Books, 1990.
English 102
M.J. Garcia
October 3, 2006
Brotherhood of War
After viewing M*A*S*H and reading The Things They Carried, one can immediately see the superficial differences between the two. M*A*S*H is set during the Korean War, and The Things They Carried is set during the Vietnam War. M*A*S*H is a comedy, and The Things They Carried has a tone that was primarily serious. A more significant similarity is how both stories share the similar purpose of describing the personal relationships that form during war. M*A*S*H* and The Things They Carried focus on the “brotherhood” that forms as a result of soldiers being in war together.
The first type of relationship that will be discussed is the enemy turned friend. Both stories have an excellent example of this type of relationship. In The Things They Carried, we have the story of Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen. When we first read their story, we find them in the midst of a fistfight over a stolen jack knife. The fight comes to an end when Jensen “wrapped an arm around Strunk’s neck and pinned him down and kept hitting him on the nose. He hit him hard. And he didn’t stop.” Eventually “Strunk’s nose made a sharp snapping sound, like a firecracker,” implying that Jensen had broken Strunk’s nose (O’Brien 62). Fortunately, this was not the end of Jensen and Strunk. Jensen becomes so filled with paranoia that Strunk is going to get revenge that he “borrowed a pistol, griped it by the barrel, and used it like a hammer to break his own nose”(O’Brien 63). When he is done, he walks over to Strunk’s tent, shows him his matching broken nose, and asks Strunk if they are even. From this point on, not only are they even, but they become the best of friends. An example of the enemy turned friend (or more) in M*A*S*H is seen in the relationship between Duke Forrest and “Hot Lips” Houlihan. When they first meet, “Hot Lips” can barely stand Forrest. We also find that the feeling is mutual when Forrest is asked if he likes “Hot Lips.” His response is, “I can’t even stand to look at her”(Altman). However, by the end of the movie, we find these two sharing the same bed and by each other’s sides during most of movie.
Another type of friendship shown in both of these stories is the “best buddy/jokesters.” Basically, these are the friends that not only look out for one another, but they also make the war bearable by making each other laugh as often as they can. It’s obvious who the jokesters are in M*A*S*H; they are Hawkeye and Trapper John. They were friends from the start and are seen performing one stupid stunt after the next just to make each other laugh. Also, they help each other out of sticky situations in Japan as well as on the base (Altman). An example of this type of friendship in The Things They Carried is seen when we read about Rat and Curt Lemmon. We learn about their friendship from a letter that is sent to Lemmon’s sister after he died. Rat is so distraught at losing his friend that “he gets all teary telling about the good times they had together”(O’Brien 67). We learn more about the closeness of their friendship when we learn that Lemmon “made the war seem almost fun” for Rat (O’Brien 68). That Lemmon was “always raising hell” and making Rat laugh with his antics (O’Brien 68). It’s easy for one to see the close friendship and “brotherhood” that these two soldiers shared.
The third and final type of relationship discussed in this paper, is the relationship or dynamic between men and women during war. Given the time period in which both of these stories were set, sexism comes with the territory. However, it’s obvious in both stories that women are important to these men who are trapped in war. In M*A*S*H, one could see some fairly serious relationships form between the some of the doctors and nurses. For example, a relationship develops between Hawkeye and Dish (Altman). Despite declarations of love toward both of their spouses who are waiting at home for their return, one could see the need and respect they have for each other. One could also see that Hawkeye and Dish depended on each other for comfort and support during this stressful and dangerous time. In The Things They Carried, the female dynamic is seen in the chapter “Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong.” In this story, we have Mark Fossie who finds a way to have his grammar school sweetheart come to visit him in Vietnam. To hear Rat tell the story it’s obvious that she was important to more people than Fossie. When she comes to the camp Rat describes her having “long white legs and blue eyes and a complexion like strawberry ice cream”(O’Brien 93). The minute she arrives the whole camp is drawn to the girl with “bubbly personality” and “a happy smile”(O’Brien 95). It becomes apparent that the men at this camp needed someone; or rather they needed a distraction from the hell that they were living in. Mary Anne Bell becomes important to all of them, and later in the story when she “disappears,” it’s obvious that Mark Fossie isn’t the only one who is concerned for her. They all looked at her fate as a tragedy of war, and it becomes clear that they all miss her presence.
In conclusion, one could see how both of these stories were really about the relationships and liaisons that form between men and women during the hellish times of war. Examples of these relationships are found when we look at “Hawkeye” and “Trapper John,” and Curt Lemmon and Rat Kiley. The examples of the enemies turned friends are found when we read about Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen, and “Hot Lips” and Duke Forrest. The insight that both The Things They Carried and M*A*S*H gave into the lives of men and women at war were interesting at times, and sad at other times. Basically, these stories were about human relationships and how they are formed and affected by war.
Works Cited
M*A*S*H. Dir. Robert
Altman. Perf: Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Robert Duvall,
and Sally Kellerman. Fox, 1969.O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. New York: Broadway Books, 1990.