The Things They Carried

I found “The Things They Carried” to be very similar to a novel that we read sophomore year, All Quiet on the Western Front. One of the main themes in that novel was that the men in the war slowly became detached from the world they existed in, prior to going to battle, including losing their families. The soldiers were no long normal teenage boys, but men who had gone through one of the most dehumanizing events in life—war. The men turn into savage animals. As seen in “The Things They Carried,” the men cut off the thumb of a dead VC boy and then proceed to kick his head. The war has changed their perspectives of what is right and what is wrong—it is all a blur to them.

Jimmy Cross, the main character in “The Things They Carried,” blames himself for the death of one of his men, Ted Lavender, because he believed that he was not paying 110% to the safety of his soldier. Rather, Martha, a woman who he barely knew was occupying all of his thoughts. I think he thought he loved Martha so much because she was his last connection to the “normal” world. Unlike the other men, who had completely detached themselves from the civilian life, he was trying to keep himself from turning into a savage by tightening his bond with Martha.

Once Ted Lavender dies, Jimmy Cross finally realizes that there was no future between Martha and him. Martha is incapable of realizing the reality of what war and what he is experiencing. War has become his whole life, and anyone who has not lived through it cannot appreciate what he feels. Martha is a creature trapped in her own world, blind to the atrocities occurring in Vietnam. Lavender dying is the turning point for Jimmy. He finally lets go of the one thing that was holding him back—Martha. I do not think, however, that it was Jimmy’s fault that Lavender died. Jimmy puts extra blame on himself, because he thinks that if he was not so preoccupied with Martha, he might have been able to save Ted.

Dehumanization is a major aspect of war and has a very powerful impact on the psychological state of anyone returning from a war. Vietnam was particularly difficult for returning American soldiers because it was a very unpopular war and many civilians showed contempt or even down right hatred to the veterans. It is difficult enough for soldiers returning from war to reenter mainstream society, but after putting their lives on the line in war and they are treated terribly it becomes even more unbearable. Many soldiers were never able to make the transition from wartime back to normal civilian life. They either dropped out of society or left America and never returned. I think that all these ideas can be seen in “The Things They Carried” through the various characters. (491)