The Things They Carried

Summary:
In "The Things They Carried" Tim O'Brien writes about a group of soldiers who are marching through villages.  The Lieutenant, Jimmy Cross, carries letters and photographs of the girl he is in love with, Martha. In these letters she signs her name with 'love' but Lieutenant Cross knows what this really means. It does not mean that she loves him like he loves her but simply a way to sign the end of her letter.

Response:
I found this short story very interesting. Lieutenant Cross stands out to me most since he is talked about so much in this story. He is so in love with Martha even though he knows she does not love him back. He has become distracted from his duties as Lieutenant by just daydreaming about her. He fantasies about her and what he could have done. This shows that even though he is probably thousands of miles away from her, she is still the woman on his mind makes me believe that his love for Martha is real love. I find myself sympathizing Cross because of the way he is letting this love take over his thoughts and actions.