The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, is a novel composed of several short stories from perspectives of American soldiers who were in the Vietnam War. The novel follows the stories of the soldiers in Lieutenant Jimmy Cross's platoon, and their experiences prior to, during, and after their service in Vietnam. The stories are written by a character sharing the author's name and profession. O'Brien claims that the stories are fictional, but he also says in the book that one can't truly know the amount of truth in any good war story.
Themes
Courage
In this book many characters struggle with what courage really is. O'Brien tried to run away from the war, but in the end, he decided to go because of the way he expected others to think of him if he had not. He said that he was a coward for going, and that he did not have the courage to not go to war. This is the exact opposite response the reader would expect to hear. O'Brien later states that soldiers are afraid to not kill because of the way they will be treated if they do not. Again, the characters go against there will not having the courage to do the opposite.
Redemption
Everything the soldiers experienced in Vietnam lives with them for the rest of their lives. Besides the regular gruesome encounters of war, regret and guilt build up within each and every man who goes to war. As the reader learns about experiences by jumping back and forth through a soldier's life, shame is often revealed followed by some sort of trial to redeem oneself.