In The Things They Carried, what are four examples of how the theme of burdens is conveyed?

In the novel The Things They Carried, the theme of burden is conveyed through O'Brien's use of symbolism.

When an author uses symbolism, he uses an object or an action to represent something more than its literal meaning. In this case, O'Brien uses what each individual soldier carries not only to represent the physical turmoil they are under, but also their mental turmoil. 

For example, the novel opens by saying "First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross...

In the novel The Things They Carried, the theme of burden is conveyed through O'Brien's use of symbolism.

When an author uses symbolism, he uses an object or an action to represent something more than its literal meaning. In this case, O'Brien uses what each individual soldier carries not only to represent the physical turmoil they are under, but also their mental turmoil. 

For example, the novel opens by saying "First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey." Physically, these letters do not weigh much; however, Jimmy Cross's love for Martha and his obsession with her letters becomes much more of issue, especially following Lavender's death. 

Lieutenant Jimmy Cross was not the only character who carried photographs. In fact, O'Brien referred to the practice of carrying photographs as "humping," another word for lifting or carrying. These photographs could represent the burden of being away from home, and it shows the soldiers' efforts to remain attached to their loved ones in the United States. 

In the same chapter, O'Brien tells readers that soldiers carry things out of necessity—in other words, they will need these items at one point or another. According to O'Brien, "Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers until he was shot in the head outside the village of Than Khe in mid-April." This shows that the war became such a burden on Lavender that he needed to rely on drugs to cope.