What does Tim O'Brien say about war in his novel The Things They Carried?

Tim O’Brien’s novel The Things They
Carried looks at war through the experiences of a number of characters,
including the on-again, off-again first person narrator. At times we are in the mind of
this narrator, at other times we see the war through other characters. O’Brien’s book
does not just look at the combat aspect of war. Part of what makes the book worth
reading are the depictions of the other effects of war, the emotional and psychological
changes that characters must grapple with as a result of
war.

Early in the novel, the reader learns a lot about the
character of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. Cross is a conscientious leader, trying his best to
lead and protect the soldiers under his command. Cross’s manner of coping with the
stress of war is to think about a girl named Martha. His thoughts sometimes turn to
ruminations and daydreams that can command a great deal of his
attention. 

One day, while thinking about Martha, one of
his men, Ted Lavender, is killed by a sniper. Although it isn’t his fault, Cross feels
guilty about it. His guilt is exacerbated by the fact that it happened while his mind
was diverted—he can’t help but feel that if he had been doing his job, Lavender might
not have died: 

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He felt shame. He hated himself. 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 war, which caused
him to feel the need to daydream in the first place, will now haunt him through his
feelings of guilt. Thus, war is not just a matter of physical danger, it is also a
source of emotional and psychological danger. What happened to Lavender was not Cross’s
fault, but he will suffer for it anyway.