Haley Hunt INTL 3111 Mr.

Robert Arnold 21 January 2012 Microtheme 1 In the short story The Things They Carried, Tim OBrien uses the repetition of binary opposites, fantasy versus reality, to explain how fantasy cannot safely play a role in war. OBrien uses two characters, Martha and Ted Lavender, and their relationship to the main character Lieutenant Jimmy Cross to show that when a soldier immerses himself in fantasy, the result is a devastating loss. The short story focuses on the fantasy of Lieutenant Crosss love affair with Martha and contrasts it with the reality of Ted Lavenders death. The story unravels by explaining Lieutenant Crosss distant relationship with Martha. In the relationship there is no hope of creating a future and there is no talk of a relationship beyond friends. Cross tends to delve into the realm of fantasy by pretending that Martha has the same feelings for him as he does for her. Lieutenant Cross understood that Love was only a way of signing and did not mean what he sometimes pretended it meant. Martha does not have the romantic feelings that Cross has for her and yet he still pushes himself farther into the fantasy world. Cross also explains that the night he took Martha on a date that he wishes he would have forced the night to turn out different. He focuses on the past and what could have been if things were changed and his obsession with the fantasy eventually hinders his work as a Lieutenant. Ted Lavender was dead because he loved her so much and could not stop thinking about her. Crosss obsession with the fantasy that he would someday be with Martha impaired his ability to lead and was, in his eyes, the explanation for Lavenders death. In the story it even

explains how during missions or periods of time when Cross should be focused he is fantasizing about Martha. In the moments before Lavenders death he should have been vigilant of his men, but instead he was focused on a fantasy of Martha at the Jersey shore. Moments after Crosss fantasy Ted Lavender was shot in the head on his way back from peeing. After Lavenders death Cross decided to return to being a focused leader. He was now determined to perform his duties firmly and without negligence. Cross realized that he was at fault for Lavenders death, but was not going to make the same mistake twice. It was imperative to Cross that he forget the fantasy world that included Martha and focus on the reality of war. Crosss obsessions with fantasy had become detrimental to the lives of the soldiers he was leading. After analyzing this short story I feel that the author is making a statement that the realm of fantasy cannot play a role in the realities of war. The end result of Cross trying to balance fantasy and reality in a time of war was the death of his soldier. When Cross metaphorically burns the pictures of Martha he is regaining his role as Lieutenant and leaving behind the ideas and fantasies of the woman he once loved.