Jimmy Cross In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

During the Vietnam War, an unfortunate 58,220 American casualties were reported by the U.S. government (Vietnam War U.S. Military Fatal chart 1). In The Things We Carried, Tim O’Brien weaves a tale about a unit of men who hope to avoid becoming just another one of the numbers. The story, which is centered around First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, takes place near the village of Than Khe during the Vietnam War. At this time in life, Jimmy is struggling with what he interprets as affection to and from the love of his life. The junior college student from Mount Sebastian, Martha, does not love Cross, rather only sees him as her distant companion. In fact, Jimmy is so obsessed with Martha that he constantly endangers his own men just to fantasize about her. Cross will soon learn what happens when you let your thoughts stray in a warzone. One of the most heartbreaking points in this story is the fact that Jimmy truly loves Martha, even though he knows that every bit of shown affection is purely fabricated. The Lieutenant …show more content…
Cross until he believes his lack of awareness of “reality” caused the death of Ted Lavender, one of the men under his command.” (Andreason p.1). Ted Lavender, one of Jimmy’s men, was a friend to many in the squad, but his loss affected no one more than how it impacted Cross. The Lieutenant blames himself for Lavender's death so much, that he burns all the photographs and letters from Martha so he will never become distracted again. He holds soley himself accountable for the death of Lavender, no others. As stated in the novel, “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 p.16), Cross blames himself and the love he carries for Martha as the reason Ted