The Things They Carried

            In the story The Things they Carried by Flannery O’Conner the central theme of the story is loneliness and regret by Lieutenant Jimmy Cross.  Throughout the war which is taking place in Vietnam Cross received a letter from a junior from Mount Sebastian College as well as two pictures.  He often fantasizes about her and being her lover, but throughout the story we know that she doesn’t really love him, because putting love at the end of the letters was a typically thing out of respect.  He understands she doesn’t want to be involved with the war” She never mentioned the war, except to say, Jimmy, take care of yourself” (pg. 341) rather then that her letters were mostly about the school, and what was going on in the school.  Cross lets his mind think about Martha so obsessively that one of the men in his unit gets killed because of his unawareness.  His name was Ted Lavender.  Killed in action and Cross believes it was his fault for Lavender dying.  When Lavender was shot he was still distracted by the thought of Martha.  Lavender’s death really affects Cross, because “while Kiowa explained how Lavender died, Lieutenant Cross found himself trembling.” (pg. 349) he felt the same and hated himself, because he realized that he loved Martha more than his men and their safety.  Cross realizes that Martha is a distraction to him so he decided he needed to do something so that he can focus on the mission and look after his men.  “On the morning after Ted Lavender died, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha’s letters.” (pg.353) he regrets fantasizing about Martha, because of his feelings of loneliness and the need of a lover he puts her first before all else and now he has to pay the consequences of Ted’s death for the rest of the war as well as his life.  He realizes that her letters and the Love Martha at the end of the letters were simply gestures nothing more and nothing less, fter thinking about everything about her Cross tells himself this “No more fantasies, he told himself.” (pg.354) after this he understood that he needed to focus on his mission.