Critical Analysis
The Things They Carried is a fictional work published by Tim O’Brien in 1990 that depicts the experiences of several American soldiers dealing with boredom and trauma during the Vietnam War. It comprises twenty-two interrelated short stories on the experience and traumatic aftermath of the Vietnam War with the first piece focusing on the things these soldiers carried to the battlefield. Martha is one of the female characters in this fictional work who is mentioned repeatedly in the first piece. The author depicts Martha as Lieutenant Jimmy Cross friend who is interested in a romantic relationship with her. Even though Martha views the lieutenant as a friend, he keeps fantasizing about her. As Lieutenant Cross’ friend, Martha’s role in the book is not very clear despite being mentioned severally in the first piece. Martha symbolizes love, social support, and danger through the letters, photos and distraction she gave Lieutenant Jimmy Cross.
Martha’s inclusion in the first short story of this book revolves around letters, photos, and distraction she gave Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. The first reflection of her influence on the lieutenant is the letters they wrote to each other. While the lieutenant desired to have a romantic relationship with Martha, she viewed him as a friend. Through these letters, O’Brien demonstrates that Martha is a symbol of love, particularly to the lieutenant. Despite being a lieutenant, Jimmy Cross was still...
Due to these fears, he seemingly needed something or someone to cling on to as a source of hope and encouragement. Compassion for family, friends, and colleagues in the battlefield usually play a key role in shaping soldiers’ experiences of war and its traumatic aftermath. To Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, Martha represented someone she could show that affection and compassion even though her feelings for him were quite uncertain. Martha’s letters also seemingly symbolized an affection toward the lieutenant though she remained tight-lipped on how she felt. For instance, in one of her letters, “…she never mentioned the war, expect to say, Jimmy, take care of yourself” (O’Brien p.2). This indicated that she was more interested in the survival and wellbeing of the lieutenant as he participated in the war. Therefore, Martha is seemingly a symbol of love to Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. As a symbol of love, Martha’s letters represented an emotional gateway to the burdens and realities of the war that the lieutenant and his troops faced. The author uses Martha as a symbol of love to depict or represent the girlfriends and wives of soldiers in the war. Through her letters, Martha is a reflection of how soldiers think about their wives and girlfriends while in the battlefield. Through mentioning her repeatedly, the reader can understand what soldiers feel about their loved…
