Quotation Blog

He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war. (The Things They Carried.42).

In This part of the book, the author, Tim O'Brian, talks about his platoon leaders ability to lead after Lavenders death. he explained that he was always concerned with Martha, and would think of Martha almost certainly before he thought of his men. He even kept a picture of her on his person at all times and would take it out and wonder if they could be together. His concerns conflicted those with his men and even though it wasn't his fault for Lavenders death, it was a wake up call for him. It took the passing of one of his squad mates to realize that death is always a step away. He eventually tightened up his squad, meaning tighter formations, less chatter while on patrols. He eventually  even burned the picture of Martha. He was in a war, and in war you have to forget about everything else and focus on making it out. A platoon leaders job is a hard one, one has to take care of her/himself and those 15-45 men and women. One death and you cant help feel like its your fault.

Martha