The short story “the things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien takes place in the Vietnam War. The protagonist. Lieutenant Cross, is a soldier who is trying to be a good leader but he is also madly in love with a college student named Martha. He carries around with him photos and letters from her. However, in the first few pages of the story it shows how this deep love makes him very weak in the war.
Until the death of a soldier, Lieutenant Cross is a character who, has been very loose and has not taken war seriously. The was a time he had let his soldiers throw away their supplies, take drugs and sing happy songs in the middle of the serious war. The first thing he was about concerned with is Martha; he dreamt about being with her, and he was happy …show more content…
He was buried with Martha under the white sand at the jersey shore. He was smiling. Vaguely, he was aware of how quite the day was, yet he could not bring himself to worry about matters of security. He was beyond that. He was just a kid at war, in love.” (p. 431-432) he could not control his emotions. He was aware that he was distracted from the real world. He calls himself a “kid” even though he is the commander of the army in war. He cannot have these type of though while in combat. He cannot be naïve and innocent forever, because eventually the enemy will attack. He needs to realize and know that, he cannot be in two places at once. The fate of Vietnam was in his hands.
Lieutenant Cross is weak because he loves Martha, he was always distracted from the real world and he always wished to return to his normal life not in the war. This will make him weak both physically and mentally and also an easy target for their enemies. Love may affect soldiers during the battle. Therefore, I think that soldier should not love when they at war.
Work Cited
O’Brien, Tim. “The Things They Carried.” Literature: Craft and Voice. Ed. Nicholas Delbanco and Alan Cheuse. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw, 2013. 427-437.
Until the death of a soldier, Lieutenant Cross is a character who, has been very loose and has not taken war seriously. The was a time he had let his soldiers throw away their supplies, take drugs and sing happy songs in the middle of the serious war. The first thing he was about concerned with is Martha; he dreamt about being with her, and he was happy …show more content…
He was buried with Martha under the white sand at the jersey shore. He was smiling. Vaguely, he was aware of how quite the day was, yet he could not bring himself to worry about matters of security. He was beyond that. He was just a kid at war, in love.” (p. 431-432) he could not control his emotions. He was aware that he was distracted from the real world. He calls himself a “kid” even though he is the commander of the army in war. He cannot have these type of though while in combat. He cannot be naïve and innocent forever, because eventually the enemy will attack. He needs to realize and know that, he cannot be in two places at once. The fate of Vietnam was in his hands.
Lieutenant Cross is weak because he loves Martha, he was always distracted from the real world and he always wished to return to his normal life not in the war. This will make him weak both physically and mentally and also an easy target for their enemies. Love may affect soldiers during the battle. Therefore, I think that soldier should not love when they at war.
Work Cited
O’Brien, Tim. “The Things They Carried.” Literature: Craft and Voice. Ed. Nicholas Delbanco and Alan Cheuse. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw, 2013. 427-437.