"The things they carried” by Tim O'Brien started out like a laundry list of artillery and keepsakes, but hidden in there was a cute little story About carrying a torch for a former lover. Even if the love is unrequited. Jimmy carries a torch for Martha, a girl from home whom he is cheeky about. He is constantly thinking of her, what she is doing and with whom. He is overly concerned with the status of her virginity as well. The problem is that her feelings for him are ambiguous. He cannot get a good read on her feelings for him but carries her on with him. This is all fine with me; soldiers need to do what they must to survive the day. The problem lies in the fact that he was negligent to his soldiers that he was responsible for, and is arguably responsible for one of their deaths. These soldiers carried a great load both tangible and intangible. What is carried by all, perhaps the most heavy is FEAR. This fear that burdens their shoulders and of course does nothing to help lessen their loads. Jimmy was always afraid that he would never see Martha again. Once he was able to let that go he became the leader that his platoon so desperately needed.
posted by Michael Clark
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