Question 7 The Things They Carried

I believe that what Smiley means by “de-gender” war is that it takes the John Wayne machismo out. War stories have long been stories of male heroics, running into battle against all odds, and coming out triumphant. The Things They Carried reads more like a diary; the details are what give it the feeling of being “gender neutral.” Women don’t know what it is like to be in a war, it is something that has been known exclusively to men, and therefore the stories of war have belonged to men. O’Brien opens the story up to women by bringing in elements that are tangible to women, such as with Jimmy Cross, re-reading his letters from Martha, and carrying the pebble in his mouth. The daydreaming, and holding onto something in order to take a break from the real world, and mentally go to another place, these are not gender exclusive. Even breaking down the exact weights of items they carried, neutralizes the story in that we can all feel every pound.
I think it re-defines American masculinity by talking about the fear. Masculinity in the past meant to show no fear; in this case these men are acting in spite of it, crawling through the tunnels, carrying their good luck charms. They are not looking to be heroes, just to live.