The Things They Carried

Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried,” is about a lot of things, namely how in the time of war, the men in his unit carried many things. Not just the physical things they needed to carry out their missions, but personal things, like photographs, lucky charms and most of all emotions. For instance, “In April/Lieutenant Jimmy Cross received a good-luck charm from Martha/smooth to the touch, it was a milky white color with flecks of orange and violet, oval-shaped, like a miniature egg.” (O’Brien, page 8). This was one of the things the Lieutenant held dear, since it was from Martha, who he dreamed of and envisioned along the Jersey Shore, where she says it came from. He used this and the photos and letters received from Martha, to keep him in touch with the world, he once knew, before the war. It took him away to a place he longed to be. But instead, it was his downfall. He was too busy daydreaming about Martha, when Ted Lavender was shot and killed. He had let his guard down and one of his men paid the ultimate price.
After Lavender’s death , “He felt shame. He hated himself. He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence, Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war.” (O’Brien, page 16). So, not only did the men carry things, personal physical things, but emotional things, guilt, grief, shame, love and passion.
In the end, Lieutenant Cross, did love his men, he vowed to be a better Officer. Lieutenant discarded his personal things that reminded him of Martha. “/crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha’s letters. Then he burned the two photographs. (O’Brien, page 23).
This story is profound in that it describes in detail some of the things that these soldiers needed to get through this war. It also describes the emotions they went through. The pride they felt, the sorrow, the anger and most of all the memories which they will carry forever.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Things_They_Carried