"The Things They Carried" - Wu

Hi, Allison Wu here. “The Things They Carried” emphasizes both how fighting in war is completely not about the human body and how much the human body means everything in war. Some of the most intimate and greatly illustrated moments of physicality throughout the piece are through First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’ thoughts about Martha. These moments provide the mental longing for human touch and contact while simultaneously contrasting how these physical movements are stuck within the mind, instead of released through the body. Cross’ longing for this type of fleeting yet intimate and physical togetherness with Martha is contrasted by the regular and monotonous motion of the soldiers marching toward what seems like the endless miles of war. It is only with Cross’ interjections of thoughts about embracing physical moments with Marta which provide the most physicality in this story of mental brutality and endurance. The high intensity of the “Martha thoughts” illustrate not only the physical weariness of these soldiers in war but also their undying sense of still wanting physical closeness and ease. As Cross and his men march through war, the things they carry matter so much because of the bodies which are burdened with them.