Tim O"Brien's The Things They Carried is a tale that deals not only with the risk of war, but also with the emotional effects it has on the young soldiers. Lt. Jimmy Cross is the designated leader. All of the men in the troop carried various items with them, both physically and emotionally. After the death of one of his soldiers, Cross is forced to reexamine his actions and realize the mistakes he has made. Although this man cares for his men, he does not fulfill his responsibilities. Throughout the story, it became clear to me that Lt. Jimmy Cross will not be able to forget about Martha, and that he is not an effective military leader. The things that Lt. Cross carries are different than the rest of the men. .
He carries memories and mementos of Martha, and these things fascinate him. "Lieutenant Cross carries two photographs of Martha" (O"Brien 420). These pictures control his mind. The author says that "Cross often wondered who had taken the picture, because he knew she had boyfriends, because he loved her so much, and because he could see the shadow of the picture taker spreading out against the brick wall" (420). The pictures and small gifts from Martha are all that Jimmy can think about, they distract him from his responsibility of protecting his men. It took the tragic death of Lavender to make him realize that he had not fulfilled his duties. "Lavender was dead. You couldn't burn the blame" (430). Instead, he burns the photos of Martha. He turns her letters and pictures into a pile of ashes. He was hoping to find forgiveness form his guilt, but none was found. Even after this action that makes me believe that Cross is leaving Martha behind, he "saw Martha's gray eyes gazing back at him" (430). He will never be able to forget about his obsession with the young woman. He will live the rest of his military career in guilt for his carelessness which led to the death of one of his men. .
As a conclusion unfortunately, Cross did not realize the mistakes he was making until it was too late.