Week 3, The Things They Carried

Within the contents of The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, the use of symbolism and imagery are prominent features. The use of symbolism and imagery help the reader fully delve into the messages that O’Brien wants to get across. There was one part in this week’s reading that stuck in my mind because of the admirable use of imagery and symbols.

In the chapter The Man I Killed, Tim O’Brien paints the picture of death for the reader. He describes the man he killed as the dead man is lying there. The man is lacking his upper lip and teeth, one eye is shut and “the other eye was a star-shaped hole,” his nose was undamaged, his fingernails were clean, the skin on his cheek was torn into three raged pieces, and there was a butterfly on his chin. The vivid descriptions that O’Brien uses draw the reader right into the scene of the story helping them to fully relive the situation the O’Brien had to endure.

Although the diction that O’Brien chose to use in this part of the novel is phenomenal, I find that the symbolic meanings beneath the surface description of the man he killed is even better. The first description that shows symbolism is “his upper lip and teeth were gone” which tells the reader that this man’s death was more violent than the average person’s. With “one eye shut” and “the other eye was a star-shaped hole” demonstrates to the reader the different parts of his life, because stars symbolize earth, air, fire, water and spirit. The star shows that he has experienced many trials in his lifetime and overcome all of them, except for this one. Although the rest of his body was dismantled, “his fingernails were clean” and in perfect, ordinary condition. The cleanliness of the underneath of this man’s fingernails indicates the cleanliness of his life, beneath his surface façade. No matter what a person appears to be on the outside, it is what is beneath the surface that is relevant to whom they truly are. The skin on his face “was peeled back into three raged pieces” which also shows how violent his death had to have been. Along with the symbol of violence, being split into three pieces represents the trinity of the father, son, and Holy Ghost. The use of a religious statement within this scene shows that the man he killed was a Christian who lived out his life faithfully to God. The last symbolic item in this part of the novel I want to discuss is the butterfly on the man’s chin. Butterflies represent a new life because they transform from a caterpillar into a butterfly. The butterfly on his chin shows the reader that this man has transferred from his old life into a new, eternal life. Towards the end of the chapter, “the butterfly was gone” and the bleeding of all of his wounds had stopped. The flight of the butterfly is symbolic of the man’s soul being freed from his body and flying into his afterlife.

As one can see, everything that an author puts into their novel is there for a reason that is usually symbolic of something. So, next time you read a book really think to yourself, “Just why is this a part of the novel?”