Buried Social Issues Exposed in The Things They Carried Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried is a wonderful, personal look at one of this country's darkest times. The vivid imagery used by the author allows the reader to truly experience the feeling of actually being at war. Using the cultural studies method of literary criticism, we can use the social conditions at the time of writing to explore beneath the surface. What we find below may be more interesting than the story itself. In the story "Enemies", Lee Strunk and Dave Jenson get into a fist fight over a missing switchblade. “Stupid” (p.63) is how the author describes the battle, but he nevertheless describes the bloody battle and its emotional outcome in vivid detail. If we look at the society of the 1960s, we find that America was going through a period when sharing was a common value. "Free love" and "Peace, love and Rock-n-Roll" were the rallying cry of an entire subculture rebelling against the rigidity of their parents. (Bob Dylan vs. Ward Clever) This counterculture was not very interested in individualistic ideas, as we can see from the droves of groupies who followed (and still follow) the Grateful Dead. The United States Army had essentially the same effect on young boys who volunteered for the war. They were stripped of their individualism and transformed into a team, a fighting machine. The only way for them to have a true sense of individuality was to hold on to some small personal possessions that they could keep or those that were contraband. On the other hand, growing up in the early 80s and 90s (the ME generation ) makes it difficult to understand how a simulation works...... middle of paper......time. When Dave feels he can no longer tolerate the situation, "he borrowed a gun, grabbed it by the barrel, and used it like a hammer to break his nose." (63) Once again, like society at the time, the "establishment" felt it was necessary to stop the "sit-ins" and peace marches because they thought the protesters would turn violent anyway. It was a proactive type of violence. In conclusion, there are numerous ways to unpack the multiple layers of a piece of literature. The most simplistic of these ways looks primarily at words and their basic meaning. More complex ones, such as the cultural studies method, will reveal deeper insights and motivations on the part of the author. You may discover more than just a story about a switchblade fight. In the end, you may learn a lesson in human psychology and socioeconomics.