Blog #3 Assignment OPTION A

Ted Lavender was one of the characters that I found interesting in "The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien. The author seems to consistently describe Ted Lavender as being scared of dying. The things that Lavender carried also spoke about his fear. For example, Lavender carried tranquilizers and “six to seven ounces of premium dope (393),” which to him was a necessity. He also carried almost 10 extra rounds (10ounces per round) because of his fear, and on night missions he carried a starlight scope. This illustrates how he surrounded himself with things that would ease his fear of death; the drugs that helped to calm his mind, the extra ammunition that gave him confidence in being able to deal with the enemy if need be, and the starlight scope which allowed him to see the enemy before they were able to see him. These objects helped Lavender feel more protected, and allowed him to better cope with his fear. I feel that Ted Lavender was a flat/static character. The only thing that is learned about him is that he is afraid of dying, and that is his constant characteristic throughout the entire story. I chose to write about Ted Lavender because I found it to be ironic that the man who feared and prepared for death the most was the only one to die out of the other 17 men in the platoon.