In war there is no prize for runner-up, there will be those who survive and those who die. Although those who survive may be just as damaged as those who passed away. In The Things They Carried by Tim O’ Brien Jimmy Cross is described as the lieutenant of an Army unit in the Vietnam War. Cross is in charge of his crew and their actions in this brutal environment. Cross attempts to guide his team through realistic depictions of war experiences, including ambushes, traps, and mental insanity. O’Brien uses the motif of storytelling, and the terrifying feeling of being alone in Vietnam, to bring a story to life. The motif of storytelling plays a large role in the sanity and nature of the characters. All the soldiers have one thing in common and
