During the short story by Tim O’Brien “The Things They Carried” Lieutenant Jimmy Cross experiences physical and emotional discomforts due to the Vietnam War. At war, Lt. Cross bears a love for a woman named Martha. One of the things he carries is a picture of her so he can reminisce about the times he spent with her. Not only does Lt. Cross carry a physical image of Martha, he also carries the emotions he feels about her in his mind. Jimmy Cross would love Martha if it was not for the war in the way and knows that he would be there for her in another life. The life Jimmy lives right now does not have time for Martha because of the war. In another life Lt. Cross would be the one that would love her. The protagonist Lieutenant Jimmy Cross marches through the Vietnam, along with all of the other American soldiers, to achieve American happiness for their ally. Simultaneously Cross marches through the pain he bares for Martha trying to get done with the war to succeed happiness for himself with Martha. Tim O’Brien uses themes of emotional bearing love and physical actions due to the consequences of war to show how Lt. Jimmy Cross transforms from a schoolboy to a leader. Carrying pounds of ammunition, daily supplies, and food can weigh down anyone. Lt. Cross, smothered by carrying pounds of supplies, begins the war with the innocent mindset as a schoolboy. Jimmy Cross finds himself in a new environment where men die rather than the normal tests and poems he considers looking pretty and sounding pretty to read. Throughout the Vietnam Lt. Cross finds himself in an ugly warfare environment. In the beginning of the war, Cross has a strong affection towards Martha, better known as an obsession. By the end of the war, his affection has waned off. Throughout his time of war he witnesses a major killing within the platoon. The death of Ted Lavender creates a new way Lt. Cross would conduct himself. This is an action that will signify the letting go of an innocent schoolboy Jimmy Cross and finding his inner man. Tim O’Brien proves this by saying “from this point on he would comport himself as a soldier” (pg 124). Going through war and experiencing the loss of friends and the murders of innocent people causes a new way for Cross to view his emotions and himself physically. The way Lt. Cross carries himself at the beginning of the story is upbeat and humping along during the war. By the end of the story, Lt. Cross has slowed down, and the author does not explain as much of the marching as the story moves towards the end. During the upbeat and humping, beginning all platoon members are alive, but the slower end picks off more men. Throughout the war, Jimmy learns to stop carrying his emotions for Martha, so he burns her pictures. As each day goes by, the emotions Lt. Cross carries for Martha are withering away. Lt. Cross stops more to weep, dig foxholes, and dream of Martha instead of humping. In the same instance O’Brien’s tone he creates has a slower approach. As the tone O’Brien sets shows the slowing down of O’Brien his platoon still marches on. The physical march is not as upbeat as normal, but the troops head towards villages. Along with the troops physically moving the emotions Lt. Cross carries begin to move further away from caring for Martha. Not only did the way Cross carried himself change the way he would love changed. Lt. Cross, at the beginning of the short story “The Things They Carried” was described as romantic. The war itself changes Jimmy’s view on his love for Martha. Lt. Cross is away from her and becomes obsessed with loving her. Being absent from Martha, but holding on to his love for her probably turned Martha off. Sending Martha in an opposite direction by Cross showing a slight obsession, Martha loves Jimmy as a friend, but does not carry true love for him. Lt. Cross loves Martha and cannot stop thinking about her as they march along trails. In one instance, Jimmy blames himself and the love he has for Martha, when Ted Lavender dies. After the fatal shooting Jimmy can only picture the smoothness of Martha’s face and beings to think “Ted Lavender was dead because he loved her so much and could not stop thinking about her” (115). As the platoon marches on, so does Jimmy Cross’s love for Martha. Cross wants to form a change from the fantasy he holds of Martha and the love he had for her. The action Jimmy Cross performs is physical in burning all the letters he has from Martha, and the two pictures of her he carries. The Lieutenant wants to start leading more. Now, that one of Cross’s platoon members are dead, he knows how a change in love needs to happen. Cross feels his obligation as a person is not to be loved, but to lead as a soldier. The change in the way Cross loves is the result of war. The action of killing during the war happens because of a distraction fantasizing about Martha and his love for her. Carrying a one-sided love, all Lt. Cross’s focus was on Martha instead of his men in the platoon. Facing the real world, Jimmy became a leader in war because the love he bares for Martha fades. Without the war, Jimmy would always love Martha and would have probably kept the pictures of her forever. As the war goes on, Jimmy has no choice but to change his love fantasy towards Martha. Along with a change in love and affection, a change in critical thinking also occurs. Tim O’Brien sets the tone from the very beginning of “The Things They Carried” as a grieving Lieutenant who simply wants love. The type of love Jimmy Cross could give to Martha in a separate life without the Vietnam War being in the way. Everyone endures challenges, but Jimmy Cross experienced a real emotional cliff. Jimmy understands that love is not always flowers and sunny days now. The Lieutenant finds that patience and abstinence is the key. With patience and abstinence, a schoolboy grows up to be a man, which portrays the title of being a Lieutenant and all the responsibilities of Jimmy Cross. Ted Lavender turns up dead because of the loving bear for Martha, Jimmy obsesses about. Once the schoolboy vanishes, the new man Jimmy Cross becomes has a new obligation to lead and carry on through both the physical and emotional war.
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