The Things They Carried

A detailed Summary of The Things They Carried


The Importance of the Title in Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried"

In his short story, "The Things They Carried," Tim O'Brien introduces a First lieutenant named Jimmy Cross, who is commanding a group of soldiers at war. Lieutenant Cross is obsessed with a woman named Martha. He carries her letters, pictures, and a pebble she has sent. These distractions makes Lieutenant Cross forget his mission and consequently a private is shot in the head. The title in "The Things They Carried," is important because it focuses on the physical, emotional, and psychological burdens that weigh the soldiers down.

Most of the items that the soldiers carried gave them a sense of security and identity. Their life is dependent on which item they will carry through this war. "The small Things they carried were largely determined by necessity"


(O'Brien 387). Lieutenant Cross carried Martha's letters, pictures, and read them every chance he got. "In the late afternoon, after a day's march, he would dig his foxhole, wash his hands under a canteen, unwrap the letters, hold them with the tips of his fingers, and spend the last hour of light pretending" (O'Brien 387).



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Approximate Word count = 568
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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