The simple phrase is basically true and seems easy to imagine. However, nothing compares to actually fighting in a war. The narrator, Tim O"Brien tells many stories about his war experience and brings the reader into his world of bravery, shame, death, and beauty. Obviously the title evinces that one of the focuses is on what the soldiers carried, which not only covers the physical items but bleeds into the emotional and psychological baggage of the war. Even after the war, the soldiers still had to "hump" the pain, guilt, nightmares, and deaths that continue to burden their thoughts. Every character carried items specific to their rank, necessity, mission, superstition, background, girlfriends, and many other factors. In The Things They Carried, Tim O"Brien and Jimmy Cross carried many of the same items for survival and sanity, but their personal items and those hidden deep within the thought and consciousness separate the two soldiers and the men that actually returned from the war. .
Jimmy Cross was the leader and in charge of the platoon; therefore, he carried more equipment than others including a compass, code books, maps, and binoculars. Along with the leadership role came the responsibility of being an example, keeping his men alive, and fulfilling his commands. This weight was heavier than any item he carried. He held himself reliable for the death of any of his men. When Ted Lavender died as a result of Jimmy not securing the area well enough, Jimmy burned his most prized possessions. He was known for his pictures of Martha, a girl he went out with once in college and corresponds with in letters, pictures, and a pebble. His illusion of her actually loving him obviously helped him cope with the pressures of leadership and the more general anxiety of war and dying at about any time. He treasured his letters from her and constantly daydreamed about her. This was a distraction, and Jimmy burned the pictures and letters to punish himself in a way and to focus on the safety of his men, his responsibility for them, and their survival.
