The Things They Carried is a story about an American soldier, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, fighting in the Vietnam War who is fixated on a woman back home who he has been exchanging letters with. While this exchange is occurring, Cross is also trying to deal with the events of the Vietnam War, and slowly begins showing signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Present day, he would have been immediately evaluated and been helped throughout his treatment process. However, treatment for PTSD was almost nonexistent during the Vietnam War. As the effects of PTSD slowly take over, he begins distancing himself from the woman back home, Martha, and eventually cuts off communication from her. While soldiers today also suffer from PTSD, and have loved ones back home, Cross’s story differs from the modern-day soldier. If this story had taken place during modern times, most of the events would not have occurred the same way. 

The fact that Cross is having trouble communicating with Martha may be part of his struggle with PTSD. As well as depression, anger, anxiety, and many other symptoms, one of the main symptoms of PTSD is relationship issues (Brooks 341). After a while of exchanging letters with this woman, Cross seems to be forming a genuine connection with Martha. However, later in the story, one of Cross’s friends, Ted Lavender, is killed in combat while Cross is reading one of Martha’s letters. Cross begins to feel personally responsible for Lavender’s death, even though there was nothing he could really do about it. Cross feels that his relationship with Martha is too much of a distraction, so he takes his most recent letters from her, and burns them all. During the time of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War, which is from the sixties and seventies, mental health was not a serious concern, and was even seen as taboo to talk about even in the medical field. The effects of post war trauma were not as well-known as they are today, so Cross could not have received proper treatment during the events of the story. If this had happened in modern times, Cross would have been given therapy treatment in order to cope with his friend’s death, or would have been given drug like sertraline in order to change control his mood swings (Pharmaco). Instead, due to the time the Vietnam War took place, Cross was given no treatment, and was left to grieve by himself.

Another thing that would be drastically different in modern times is Cross’s and Martha’s relationship. During the Vietnam War, the only way for a soldier and someone back in America is by letters. At the time, there was no mobile telephones or any way to contact someone whenever you wanted, especially not from different countries. If O’Brien’s story had taken place today, the two could have spoken over the phone during their free time, or even video chatted so they could see each other’s faces so they would not missed each other so much. This would make it so that Cross did not have to carry the letters around, so there is a possibility his relationship with Martha might have been spared after Lavender’s because of Cross blaming her for distracting him with her letters. He also have room to carry things that would actually be a necessity, because that’s all they should have been carrying. “The things they carried were largely determined by necessity.” (O’Brien 328) This would have drastically changed the story, and made the impact of the title significantly less important. 

Another factor that would change this story, is the kind of war being fought. The Vietnam War required a draft because they needed people to fight in this war. However, America has not had a draft since 1973. It is possible that if Cross existed today, he might have not seen any combat, or even joined the army. The events with Lavender would have either been drastically different or never happened, and the ending of the story would be different as well. This is a prime example of why The Things They Carried is important to the time period it takes place in.

The Things They Carried has a deep connection to the historical events surrounding the story, and would be completely different if it had taken place during modern times.The story of Jimmy Cross is a tragic one, and sadly does not have a happy ending. If anything, the ending may have been more positive if it had taken place today. Cross would have gotten treatment for his PTSD, and would have had a chance to save his potential relationship with Martha. However, he wasn’t lucky enough to live in a time that would give him those options, and by the end of his story, he begins to feel hatred towards a woman who he once loved, because of events that were out of his control. 
