Structure

The short story “The Things They Carried” is structured around the experience…

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Beginning

In the exposition of the story, readers are introduced to the main character, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross:

First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey. They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cro…

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Middle

The middle of the story mostly consists of an extensive list of all the material and intangible things that the soldiers in Vietnam carry with them:

The things they carried were largely determined by necessity. Among the necessities or near-necessities were P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two or three canteens of water. (p. 1, ll. 23-28)

The rising action also contains the revelation that Ted Laven…

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Ending

The falling action is fairly long, and focuses on Jimmy’s reactions upon Lavender’s death, but also on the psychological burdens that the soldiers carry with them. After Lavender’s death, Jimmy blames himself for not paying enough attention to his company and for allowing himself to be distracted by Martha’s memory. His comrades even notice him crying: “One thing for sure, he said. The Lieutenant's in some deep hurt. I mean that crying jag—the way he was carrying on—it wasn't fake or anything, it was real heavy-duty hurt. The man cares.”  (p. 12, ll. 1-3)

Then, the soldiers are depicted in connection to the emotions that defined them. First, we get to know that most of them act out of inertia, without having any particular will to do their task:

They plodded along slowly, dumbly, leaning forward against the he…