The Things They Carried Passage Analysis

Spin Passage The Things They Carried The function of the passage from the episode Spin is to introduce a different interpretation of the concept of boredom, one that pertains to the fight and the soldiers specifically and not often experienced by civilians. The type of boredom described by the narrator in the passage is tenser, and encompasses many more emotions that the important Company comes across.Throughout the passage, the reader gets the idea that the soldiers argon not bored in the irritated and uninterested way that most people typically are. Instead, the men are anxious, anticipating the next unpleasant event to come upon them at any moment. The narrator explains, Youd try to relax. Youd uncurl your fists and let your thoughts go. Well, youd think, this isnt so bad. And right then youd hear gunfire behind you and your nuts would fly up into your throat and youd be squealing pig squeals (OBrien 34).This commentary of how the soldiers would behave, with curled fists and ap prehensive thoughts, jumping at every noise, proves that they are not nonchalant but hyperaware of their surrounding and on edge. When the narrator describes war as boring, he refers to the redundancy of always worrying, then allowing oneself to relax for a moment before being bombarded with another battle. The first three sentences from the quote have a calm, muted attitude, especially when juxtaposed with gunfire, nuts, and pig squeals, which are harsh, callous playscripts.The way in which OBrien chose to write that particular quote is similar to the repetitive way that the soldiers wait, making the reader understand to some level what it is like to live that way. As a result, OBrien uses this passage to introduce a new, atypical definition of the word bored, where it is used as an umbrella word for many other emotions, including anxiety and fear.