In the short story "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien, each soldier carries many items during times of war and conflict, but each need is different. This short story describes what each soldier carries mentally, physically and emotionally on his shoulders as they spend long, arduous weeks during the Vietnam War. Author Tim O'Brien is a Vietnam War veteran, author, storyteller, and teacher. The main character, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, is a Vietnam War soldier who is at war fighting a mental battle over a woman he left behind in New Jersey because he was lovesick while trying to fulfill his duties as a soldier to keep America free. . Tim O'Brien portrays in “The Things They Carried” a troubled man who also carries many things with him. Every soldier carries many things both physically and mentally during times of war and conflict. For the war, the United States implements a project where young men are drafted and forced to join the army for the war. Many of these soldiers are young, immature, and escaping adulthood, yet there is one stage of life that cannot be avoided: death. Cross felt responsible for the deaths of the younger boys because he felt it was his job to protect the innocent. O Brien's point of view is as accurate as himself because he is a Vietnam veteran. The title of the story is significant because it describes each soldier's personality and how he or she handles conflicts within the mind and outside the body during times of conflict. The title fits the soldier's life perfectly because it shows the reality that war is much more than just strategy and attack of forces. O'Brien tells the story from two points of view: that of the author and that of the characters. His style keeps the reader informed about both the background of things and the story itself at the same time