The Things They Carried

By Tim O'Brien

"Love"

Summary

Many years after the war, Jimmy Cross goes to visit Tim O’Brien at his Massachusetts home. They spend their visit drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, and reminiscing with old photographs. When an old picture of Ted Lavender comes up, Cross confides in Tim by saying that he has never forgiven himself for Lavender’s death. They spend more time on the happy memories and then Tim finally asks Cross about how things ended up with Martha. Cross says when they were finally reacquainted at a college reunion, they spent most of their time catching up. She became a Lutheran missionary and never married saying she didn’t know why. During their time together Cross took a leap of faith and told her he loved her and never got an answer in return. He also told her about the night they went to see Bonnie and Clyde, all he’d wanted to do was to take her home and tie her to her bed so he could touch her knee all night long. Martha sharply replied that she didn’t understand how men could do such things. At breakfast the following morning she apologized and gave him another snapshot of the picture he had burned after Lavender's death. Cross claims he still loves Martha, after that she wasn't brought up again. As Cross was about to leave Tim asks for his consent in writing a story about some of the things they talked about. Cross says yes and to make him look good but not to mention a certain something.

Reflection

Martha was a form of comfort to Cross during the war, thinking of her made him feel that everything would be okay and that she could possibly be home waiting for his return. She gave him hope. This demonstrates how some men after the war came home and nothing was how they had hoped. I feel conflicted on whether or not Cross is really in love, that word is not to throw out into the world lightly. He and Martha had only went on a single date to go see Bonnie and Clyde, but I guess some people believe in love at first sight? Another thing I question is whether or not Tim O'Brien kept his word to Cross by not including that certain something in his writing, he could have very well included it but us readers not know because he did not say what he wanted left out, or did he keep his word and not put it in his book?