The Things They Carried

I liked this story. It was interesting because I like reading about wars and war stories that people had. Even though this story was fiction, I can totally see it as being a real situation. Nothing in this story would make you say, "Oh this couldn't happen". And the problems that they carried were very real and it related to me as well. Although I couldn't really seem to find the moral of this story, I found something I liked...it could be the moral, but I'm not sure. Throughout the story it talks about Lieutenant Jimmy Cross having a deep love for his girl whose name is Martha. She also has feelings for Jimmy, but Jimmy is unsure to whether or not she loves him as much as he loves her. At the same time Lieutenant Cross is in Vietnam in command of a squad of men and has a major responsibility. But he cannot stop thinking about this girl Martha. Whether it be occasionally during a battle, or consuming his mind while they marched or had rest. Soon, Lieutenant Cross had two casualties in his squad. And all he could blame was himself because his mind wasn't completely on their objective and what he needed to be doing as a lieutenant, like protecting his soldiers. His mind was on this girl. So at the end of the story he resolves his situation by burning all of the letters she had sent him and focusing all of his attention on leading his men. "Cross reminded himself that his obligation was not to be loved but to lead. He would dispense with love; it was not now a factor." I cannot say I agree or disagree with this idea because I see a need for both. First of all, I don't see how anyone can completely forget about something that consumed your mind that much...but anyways. In a situation like his, you really need to have your complete focus on what you are suppose to be doing, especially if it means life or death for not only your own, but for other people as well. That is hugely important. But I also see a need for reflecting on other things that give you peace. For example, a man named Kiowa was apart of Cross's squad. He was going through the same things as Cross. Although he was under Cross, he still had a great responsibility. But Kiowa slept with the New Testament under his head. Kiowa found peace with God by focusing on Him. If we focus on anything or anybody, it should be God because He is the One who will give us the strength and peace in whatever we're doing.