Chelsea Medlin Professor Arnold Politics and Culture in Literature 30 August 2013 Microtheme One Tim OBriens The

Things They Carried is an interesting portra al of the !ar in "ietnam# and ho! !ar can change people$ There are moments throughout it that seem %er hopeful# !hene%er &irst Lieutenant 'imm Cross is thin(ing of )eing home and the girl that he is o)sessed !ith Martha$ *n these short flashes that he has the !ar does not seem so )ad# )ut the flashes are gone +ust as ,uic(l as the came# to see !ho has to cra!l through the tunnels$ Lieutenant Cross isnt chosen to cra!l through the tunnels# so he continues to da dream a)out Martha$ -e then +ustifies it to himself ) in!ardl sa ing he cant help it# hes a (id at !ar and in lo%e$ Onl moments later one of the men# Ted La%ender is shot on his !a )ac( from using the )athroom# and its a harsh realit chec( for Lieutenant 'imm Cross$ This is !hen his true character sho!s through$ -e ta(es a moment to reall !eep a)out the loss# and ho! he feels responsi)le for it$ Then# he decides to ma(e a change$ -e )urns e%er thing he has to do !ith Martha# and thin(s of things he can do to ma(e himself a )etter leader$ .ather than )ur ing in his mind !hat happened# or )laming it on someone else# he ma(es the choice to accept responsi)ilit and ma(e the necessar changes so it ne%er happens again$ /ome of the changes he implements are simple# li(e flan( securit # others are more comple0# such as !hen he decides to no longer listen to the mens arguments !hen he gi%es orders$ The !ar changed 'imm Cross# )ecause it forced him to ha%e to gi%e up his fantasies of Martha# and no longer )e the mens 1friend2 )ut )e their leader$ The !ar made him gro! up as a

person too# )ecause )efore he could e0pect the men to follo! him# he had to police up his o!n acts$ *n the )eginning of the stor # he is guilt of thro!ing out 1unneeded2 supplies as !ell# (no!ing that in a fe! short da s the re going to get the same supplies all o%er again$ *n the end# Lieutenant Cross ma(e the decision that no matter ho! much longer it ma(es the da s seem# that the !ont )e la0 or thro! out an supplies$ A lot of men in Lieutenant Cross position !ould ha%e made e0cuses# such as the man shot should ha%e had his helmet on# or had people pulling securit for him# )ut cross made the decision to gro! and learn from his mista(es# and that sho!s his true character as a man$