Many of the short stories within the collection The Things They Carried, written by Tim O'Brien, can be compared and contrasted regarding elements including theme, characters, and technique. In "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong", the character Mary Anne Bell appears to be apparently similar to the character Martha from "The Things They Carried", in that both are young women who have affairs with a soldier at war. Although upon further analysis of Mary Anne, it appears that she is anything but similar to Martha. Rather, an unexpected parallel can be drawn between the characters Mary Anne and Elroy Berdahl, from “On the Rainy River,” as they both appear to be epitomes of masculinity. The peculiar connection between these characters developed by Tim O'Brien sheds light on the ambiguity of conventional gender roles of men and women. Mary Anne is initially introduced to the audience, narrated by Rat Kiley, as an innocent and naive young woman present in Vietnam solely to visit her boyfriend, Mark Fossie. She arrives in "white culottes" and a "sexy pink sweater" (86), and is considered by the other soldiers to be nothing more than a happy distraction for her man. As Mary Anne settles in, her curiosity about Vietnam and the war increases, and she soon possesses the same interest in the war as many men. Next, Mary Anne's transformation into a soldier begins when she leaves her sweet femininity behind. No longer caring about his vanity, he falls “into the habits of the bush. No cosmetics, no nail filing. She stopped wearing jewelry and cut her hair short” (94). Mary Anne's lost femininity is evident even when she wields powerful rifles like the M-16. Not only does the weapon literally scream masculi... middle of paper... about the value of time and silence. With just a few words and actions, Elroy manages to push O'Brien to make a decision regarding his moral obligation to participate in the war. Miraculously, he manages this without even mentioning the war or O'Brien's obvious predicament "as if he already knew" (58), suggesting that he encapsulates the omniscient masculine ideal. The unique way in which Mary Anne and Elroy disappear towards the end of each story further establishes the identity of their characters. While Mary Anne's exit generates confusion and drama, Elroy's is simple and painless. This suggests that Mary Anne's masculinity is presented through her loud and chaotic actions while Elroy's is through his quiet sagacity. The character analysis of Mary Anne Bell compared and contrasted with Martha and Elroy Berdahl implores the audience to consider the idea that gender is not intrinsic..