Chapter 1

The first chapter of The Things They Carried automatically conjures up a recipe for a potential tear-jerker. I love those "hopelessly in love but ultimately alone" characters, and Jimmy cross is the perfect example of one. The first chapter makes me exhausted, like I was right there with the soldiers, carrying all that stuff. I felt sad reading it--like when every soldier was described along with their stuff, I felt like I knew them, but from some old memory. It was like listening to someone share memories of a close friend at their funeral; and I felt that for all the soldiers, especially Ted Lavender. I find the short sentences interesting; I usually hate reading things that have short sentences, but this is different. The sentences are short, but engaging, and they make you wanna keep reading. (so surprising since this is a war story) Nonetheless, I really love this book. I'm already like half way through, and it's bizarre what goes through these soldiers' minds, and how Tim O'Brien writes it; hard to believe it's fiction.