As a summary, many novels use the first chapter to introduce the main themes and content of the work. An example of this technique is The Things They Carry by Tim O'Brien. In it, O'Brien uses the first chapter, "The Things They Carried," to introduce the characters and the tangible and intangible objects they carried with them and sometimes burdened them. Use these assets to thoroughly define the man who wears it. For these men, even in war, it is not machine guns and Claymore mines that they value for survival, but objects like photos and pantyhose that help them stay sane and alive. Each man had his own needs, and each carried his own talisman, all in an effort to stay in the real world. These objects eventually became the person who carried them. In this novel, O'Brien's successful portrayal of his war experiences was done using distinctive key characters and the things they carried to help identify major themes of strength, weakness, and confusion. One of the first characters introduced is Henry Dobbins and because of his dimensional size, the reader assumes that he is of great physical strength, lacking in emotional potency. Using Dobbins, O'Brien slowly discovers the emotional strength he learned from experiencing war. Dobbins was a "big man, [and] carried extra rations; he especially liked canned peaches in syrup over pound cake" (4). This description portrays him as a gentle giant, one who likes to make the most of life and enjoy the simple necessities that life has to offer. His kind and friendly personality gave him strength in mind and strength for and from his companions. Furthermore, Dobbins acts like a calm person, a person who can keep his cool... middle of paper... many war veterans, a confusion that enlightens the mind and ultimately leads to self-destructive acts. The theme of confusion appears in and out of The Things They Carried as a setback in living the war life. O'Brien's choice of character to reflect the main themes of the novel was decided by his personal experiences of war. As a war veteran, during the war there were times when he was strong, times when he was weak, and after the war, times when he was confused. But by writing this novel, O'Brien is able to give free rein to his thoughts, allowing him to objectify his experiences and separate them from himself. He identifies major thematic events in his life with various characters in his novel and uses them to discover himself. By including these small introductions in the first chapter, O'Brien provides a map of the novel that provides blueprints for his life..