"Kar-ee"

While it is still fresh on my mind I feel that I should probably write an abstraction of the basic thesis of my paper.
IN both the texts of Cat's Cradle and The Things They Carried I found that their is a distinct parallel between the physical items that they charcters carried and the emotional impact and responsibility that ensued. For instance, in Cat's Cradle such a parallel lies in the carrying of the chemical compound "ice-nine." Though the physical of the item is nearly non existent the emotional turmoil that it causes weighs quite heavily on the Hoenikker children. This can be clearly seen in their relationship with their father. The object ice-nine is transformed by the death of their father into a lasting reminder of their cold and distant relationship that existed throughout the course of their lives. This relationship is also found in the lasting memory that ensues as a result of the last memory of their father being a frozen chunk of man sitting in a chair. Needless to say this is quite traumatizing to see the man who raised you sitting frozen in time (literally). This further follows them throughout their lives through the ice-nine they each carry. Though the pieces of their father melted away they memory of the state in which they found him lives on through his invention. Along with this memory comes a responsibility for the fate of the world. That is a pretty heavy weight if you ask me.
This parallel is again found in The Things They Carried. In describing the physical weight of what the soldiers carries, Tim O'Brien is creating a more relatable parallel for the emotional weight these men carried. Like Cat's Cradle, the responsibility for lives also weighs quite heavily on the consciences of the soldiers in charge.
Overall, I found that there was a stark parallel between the two novels that I did not believe existed until I further forced myself to find one.