The Characters Revealed In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

Soldiers, not just in the Vietnam War, carried personal items that assisted them through a time of fighting and death. These personal items were attachments that allowed the men to hold onto something, even if it was small, to help them continue fighting. In the book, The Things They Carried, there are several characters that possess everyday nicknacks that bring them happiness in a time of sadness. These characters and what they held on to include: Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, who holds onto hope, Henry Dobbins holds on to love, and Norman Bowker holds on to superstition. Hope is one of the ultimate feelings that people, especially soldiers, hold onto during war. The character, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, holds onto the hope of being with his love back home, Martha. Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey, sends him love letters, except they are not actually love letters. The book states, “They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them folded in plastic at the bottom of his rucksack,” (p. 1). The lieutenant would imagine Martha and him together, and the thought of her touching those letters would run through his mind. Later on, Martha sends him a good-luck charm. He

Soldiers needed something to grasp onto, something to give them hope and strength. For example, in the book Lieutenant Cross carried his pebble. Dave Jensen carried a rabbit’s foot. While Norman Bowker, who was relatively a gentle person, carried a thumb (p. 12). The thumb was given to him as a gift by a fellow soldier, Mitchell Sanders. It was cut from a VC corpse who was only fifteen or sixteen years old (p. 12). They described the thumb as, “Dark brown, rubbery to the touch, and weighed 3 ounces at most,” (p. 12). Even though it was a morbid item, it was a reminder that the one who carries it is alive and still