In the first chapter or section we read in "The Things They Carried", a majority of it is about all the items and pounds the soldiers carried on their backs and in their pockets. Then the author starts to describe the psycological things they carried also: the death of a friend, longing for a loved one back home, or maybe they're not all mentally "there" because of past events or the chance they're high on dope. Each burden is different according to the kind of soldier he/she is. Trying to see symbolism in all of this I figured all these things they carry could be compared to sins or things they may regret or go through that destract them from their main goal. The war could be the battle of life; some willfully jump right in and risk it all without fear, some may cower scared about what around the corner, others might be forced into battle without and word from themselves, and then their's the lucky ones that don't have to fight at all and pretty much have it made for them compared to the ounes out on the field.
The "Sins" each one carries is all dependent on how strong the person is, how prepared one wants to be in a rare situation, how much time one might spend in the past, or how dependent someone might be on another source. Whether it be a friend, a girlfriend's "panties" around the neck, good-luck charm or letters of a loved one in your pocket.
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