Melanie Morrison The Things They Carried Response

     Starting with the title of the book, "The Things They Carried," I already got the notion of those "things" being more than physical possessions. The soldiers of the story each had their own emotional burdens throughout their time serving in the war. For example, Jimmy Cross' attachment to Martha, though she was far away, made him feel as though his unending thoughts of her indirectly caused the death of one of his comrades. Cross thinks to himself how, "It was very sad, the things men carried inside." (23) Of course those physical items they carried weighed them down during the trek throughout the war, but those emotional tie ins could have been just as, or even more so, crippling than the physical side of it. Continuing to see your comrades taken down in front of you added along with the emotional baggage brought from home must be a heavy burden on all of the soldiers. Another thing I found interesting was the fact how most men carried items that would have no use in saving their lives if it came down to it. Some men carried comics, the pantyhose of his girlfriend, and m&ms. That also shows how a token from their past lives could also make the horrors of war more bearable. When Jimmy Cross carried the rock from Martha, and even put it in his mouth, it showed the longing to be close to something that's no longer there. Those mementos brought them to a save place when they came into contact with it, helping them to remember better days.