The Things They Carried: Prompt Two Tim O'Brien writes about both the physical objects they carry and their emotional burdens. The objects these soldiers carry serve as symbolism for what they carry in their hearts and minds. Soldiers carry items ranging from pantyhose, medicine, tanning oil and pictures. Jimmy Cross is an inexperienced college sophomore. He enrolls in reserve officer training camp because his friends are taking the course. Jimmy Cross wants nothing to do with war or being a leader. The item Jimmy Cross carries with him are photos of his classmate named Martha. Martha's photos symbolize many things to Jimmy Cross. He is absolutely infatuated with the photo and deeply in love with Martha, who signs his letters with "Love, Martha". Jimmy Cross is so distracted by Martha's photographs that he doesn't even realize that death strikes one of his fellow soldiers, Ted Lavender. After this tragic event Jimmy Cross decides to burn away his pain and sadness by burning the memories he collected from Martha. At this point in the novel the photos represent Jimmy's emotions. He burned the photos so he could feel sympathy not for Ted but for himself. Martha's photos also symbolize her unattainable dreams and this girl is part of that future. He carries these photos with him so he can dream of an alternative life for himself. These images are just a way for him to face reality, letting his mind slip away from the war and into a much happier and simpler world with Martha. The images symbolize what he dreams about at night as he tries to get comfortable on the hard ground, and what he thinks about when he's... middle of paper... that's how you perceive something, emotionally. Truths are what the person believes them to be and what he believes is reality. When Tim writes this novel he talks about what he experienced in Vietnam or what he learned during the war. It may not be the same view of war as Rat Kiley, but everyone experiences war differently. O'Brien's techniques for blurring the line between reality and fiction were right on. The author wrote this story as a reminder of his experiences in the Vietnam War. The author wrote what felt right, he wanted to honor the fallen soldiers and honor his time at war. In fact, I think his bridging of truth and deception is the closest experience a non-war veteran will get from war. If the book were strictly based on fact it would not contain the element of the psychological feelings of war, but only the physical aspect.