Necessity in OBreins The Things they Carried Essay

RR- â€Å"The Things They Carried† What’s More Important? Necessity can usually be described as something or someone that is needed. However, this word has different meanings and is based solely on what the individual requires for his or her survival. These needs may increase or become distorted as he or she finds themselves in a life-or-death situation such as war. Circumstances may also provoke an average person to become emotionally distressed and thus the desire to hold on to all that he can. Despite the fact that these necessary items or ideas that he clings to may impair the person, abandoning them may seem impossible. This is the case in Tim O’Brien’s, â€Å"The Things They Carried.† For First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross,†¦show more content†¦For Jimmy Cross, he humped pictures of Martha, â€Å"a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey † (318) and the letters she writes him. O’Brien highlights these items as special things that Lt. Jimmy Cross carries because they symb olize all he has left behind and hopes to someday return to. Additionally, the letters he receives from Martha are light in weight, only â€Å"ten ounce,† (315) but prove to be a heavy burden. However, Lt. Cross fails to realize his responsibility is not in keeping his photographs and letters safe, but in leading his men safely. Because of his delusional dreams of Martha, he is unable to prevent the death of Ted Lavender. In dealing with such a guilt and regret, Lt Cross is forced to give up the one thing he loved â€Å"more than anything, more than his men,† (318) his beloved Martha. He forces himself to burn everything that was Martha, her pictures, the letters, and pebble she sent, â€Å"because she belonged to another world, which was not quite real†¦because he realized she did not love him and never would† (323). By burning his special things of Martha, Lt. Cross is able to break free from the fantasy world and return to the role he was trained to do. â€Å"He was now determined to perform his duties firmly and without negligence† (327). With Lavender’s death in mind, he becomes aware of immediate dangers that may arise and begins to â€Å"impose strict field discipline† (327) to prevent death. Lt Cross â€Å"reminded