Finding Faith

I think out of all the characters thus introduced in "The Things They Carried" the character of Henry Dobbins might be my personal favorite. It says at the beginning of the chapter "Stockings" that Dobbins is a man without a certain sophistication. I think this may be true in some senses but wrong in others. Dobbins carries his girlfriends stockings around his neck for good luck. They are something of a security blanket, they keep him from harm. Even after his girlfriend dumps him he still wears them around his neck. We then see that it's not about her, it's about the personal power Dobbins gives to this talisman around his neck. I think Dobbins shows great sophistication here. He shows that his personal faith in this object is not to be touched nor affected by others. Can we say the same of our personal beliefs? Or are our beliefs simply ideas on our skin easily rattled by the people, experiences, or ideas that brush against us?
Dobbins next endears me to him in the chapter "Church". In this chapter Dobbins or rather O'brien defines religion as something separate from monasteries and sermons. Dobbins expresses the desire to be a monk. He states that he might not be able to explain God's will or change the world with powerful sermons but he can "wear a robe and be nice to people."He ends the chapter by saying "All you can do is be nice. Treat them decent you know?". I think this show that Dobbins has a handle on himself that perhaps the others don't have. The other soldiers cope with the horror around them with violence or humor or hate. I think Dobbins copes by believing in the simple principle of being kind to people, treating them decent. In this way he again puts faith in something that is larger than he, larger than Vietnam, larger indeed than any war. I think that is the basis for religion. A belief in something larger than oneself, that has stood the test of time.