The first chapter in The Things They Carried tells the story of men in the Vietnam War, following the inner thoughts and back story specifically of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. I enjoyed how they brought insight into the characters so that it seemed as if they were people with feelings, and not defined as soldiers.
Jimmy's view of Martha is not a view that I find flattering. It seems as if Jimmy loves a girl who does not love him back, which seems very sad and he says that it cost the life of Ted Lavender.
The concept of weight in the story did have an impact, as I imagined carrying the tangible weight they were carrying as well as empathizing with the emotional and mental weight they also carried.
How does Jimmy's "relationship" with Martha help him cope? Maybe it doesn't matter that she doesn't love him back. Would you rather have the experience of loving or being loved? If you had to choose...
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