4. The Things They Carried: On the Rainy River~The Creep Old Man

I feel that the old man served as a greater significance in this story. He was the motivation and drive for this young man to grow up and do what he had to do. The old man transformed the soldier-to-be into a man. He gave him the understanding that not everyone always likes what we have to do, but sometimes they just have to do it. The generous old man demonstrated to the young man that the world doesn't revolve around him. Sometimes, its necessary to put our life on the line for others. Although the old man was silent, he taught the young man a lot of life lessons. His silence was a lesson in itself because the boy learned to relax and realize that words aren't always necessary.