Summary Of The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

In “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien the soldiers were allowed to bring various items with them. The majority of these items were common for soldiers to carry, such as their rifle, mosquito repellent, and extra ammunition. Some soldiers brought things from back home with them, in order to help give them a reason to return home. Every item had significance to help suit their individual needs and desires. During this time of war and the harsh environment, they were exposed to they all needed something of comfort. Though some were beneficial in helping them return home, some were fatal distractions. The author Tim O’Brien shows us these items to help us identify who these men were and what they could not leave behind. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross brought letters that a woman named Martha whom he was infatuated with wrote for him. The two were not in a relationship but in Jimmy’s mind, they were. The letters he kept from Martha were not love letters but Jimmy had felt they were in a romantic relationship. “They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them

“Cross received a good-luck charm from Martha. It was a simple pebble, an ounce at most. Smooth to the touch, it was a milky white color with flecks of orange and violet, oval-shaped, like a miniature egg”(O’Brien 6). Jimmy really appreciated everything Martha gave him, he considered the gifts good luck charms. Jimmy’s love of Martha helped distract him and put his mind at ease during the war. “Lieutenant Cross gazed at the tunnel. But he was not there. He was buried with Martha under the white sand at the Jersey shore. They were pressed together, and the pebble in his mouth was her tongue”(O’Brien 7). His infatuation with Martha would transport him into another world to avoid the situation he was currently in. Many people would put their focus on others things in order to distract themselves from the