The Things They Carried Women Analysis

The Women in Their Lives - A Vietnam War Experience

The men in the frontlines would not have been successful if it were not for the women in their life.

“Things They Carried ” is a collection of short fictitious stories written by Tim O'Brien. All the stories in the book are about the men who served in the Vietnam war and its influence on women that come in their life. These stories talk about the ambiguous nature of the war, the inadequacy of plain and absolute facts. Although their presence is small in the book, woman have a significant role in the men’s life. These Alpha men have various views on the women they consider a lucky charm, a distraction, and also an alleviation from the war. They carry letters, photographs, imagination, and even pantyhose to remind them of the women back at home.

Firstly, one of the main important roles covered by women in this book is that of a good omen.The items the women sent to the soldiers, or anything related to them is believed to be lucky “Lieutenant Jimmy Cross received a good-luck charm from Martha.”(O’Brien 8) Martha had a very a special place in the Lieutenant’s heart. He loved her even when he knew she did not have any special feelings for him. He carried the pebble everywhere

As the chapter progresses, whenever Jimmy Cross is mentioned, Martha is mentioned as well. Jimmy cross blames himself for the death of Ted Lavender. “He pictured Martha’s smooth young face, thinking he loved her more than anything, more than his men, and now Ted Lavender was dead because he loved her so much and could not stop thinking about her”(O’Brien 7) and “he had loved Martha more than his men, as a consequence Ted Lavender was now dead”(O’Brien 16). Jimmy Cross constantly feels that he is failure for not saving Ted Lavender when he could have saved his life. He blames this on Martha because she was a distraction for