Things They Carried Essays - The Things They Carried, Ann Richards

Things They Carried In the story ?Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" in The Things they Carried by Tim O' Brian Mary Ann Bell goes from one end of the spectrum to the other. Mary Ann is brought in by her high school sweetheart, Mark Fossie. They are destined to be married and live out the rest of their lives together. In a matter of weeks she is transformed from a cute, blonde high school girl to a ferocious animal of the jungle. Mark Fossie first toys with the idea of bringing her over from Cleveland and then goes through with it. "Listen, the guy sends her the money. Flies her over. This cute blonde- just a kid, just barely out of high school- she shows up with a suitcase and one of those plastic cosmetic bags. Comes right out to the boonies (pg.102)." She is very young, at most seventeen years old. She is pretty and has a great personality that all the guys appreciate. She is never afraid of the unseen horrors of the war. She thirsts for knowledge about everything around her. Mary Ann wants to know about everything and her desire for knowledge leads her to the loners of the war, the green berets. She starts by just going out on ambush with them then it progresses more. "The way she quickly fell into the habits of the bush. No cosmetics, no fingernail filing, cut her hair short and wrapped it in a dark green bandana (pg.109)." She breaks it off with Mark Fossie and doesn't want to leave the bush. She does stuff even the greenies wouldn't do. She stays with them until she eventually disapears. The greenies say she's still alive but they've never really seen her again. She was one with the jungle. She was young and innocent then became a ferocious hunter of the jungle. "She was dangerous. She was ready for the kill (pg.125)."