The strength in the things they carried Everyone has to face adversity at some point in their life. The adversities they go through vary from person to person. For First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, he had to survive the Vietnam War alive. In the short story "The Things They Carried", where Cross gets his strength from is unclear. He seems strong at the beginning of the story, but then he also seems to gain strength towards the end of the story. This article shows two different points of view. There is debate as to whether Jimmy Cross is a stronger person at the beginning or end of the story. One opinion is that First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is stronger before burning Martha's photos. Its strength comes from its connections with the outside world. Martha is his connection to life away from the war. This is why it is important that "Martha never mentioned the war, except to say, Jimmy, take care of yourself. She wasn't involved" (O'Brien 403-404). It symbolizes everything he left behind and everything he hopes to return to one day: innocence, comfort, love and hope. These hopes and dreams are the things that keep him sane; they keep him more human and less of a war machine. He shows his strength by attaching himself to these things and keeping himself somewhat detached from the violence around him. He has the uncanny ability to admit to himself that "he was just a kid at war, in love. He was twenty-two. He couldn't do anything about it" (397). Having the strength to see this reality, he fights against the power of war to consume a person's entire identity. However, deciding that "from now on, when he thinks of Martha, he will only think that she belongs..." .middle of paper...do, to a man who will now accomplish his work, and will make sure he does it well. Both points of view are valid arguments. Both are well thought out and have good supporting evidence arguments. So which is the right one? Well, that's the great thing about short stories like "The Things They Carried," they're open to interpretation. It is up to the reader to decide what they mean to them. The purpose of this article was to present two different arguments from two different readers. Both points of view were able to answer the question of whether Jimmy Cross was stronger at the beginning or end of the story, in their own way. .Work Cited O'Brien, Tim. “The things they carried.” 2nd ed. Ed. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters. Boston: Bedford, 2001. Pg. 392-405.