Start Off- Chapter 1

The beginning of the novel is very interesting to me because at first i thought that Lieutenant Jimmy Cross was going to be the main character. The author brings up the Lieutenant's love back at home. This gives us the softer version of the officer right off the bat. It then goes into saying the burdens of each soldier and the specific amount of weight that each man carried. Chapter 1 is all about the material things that the soldier carries. The rest of the novel is about the spiritual things that they carry. This is interesting to me because when presenting each material that the soldiers carry, the author simply lists them and does not pause or elaborate on anything, almost like he is trying to show the unimportance of these materials. When the author starts getting into the materials that are specific for that soldier, you start to learn more about him. The Lieutenant carries a good luck charm from his love Martha, Kiowa carried his New Testament Bible, Dace Jensen carried his vitamins, Rat Kiley carries his doctor kit, and Henry Dobbins carried his girlfriend's pantyhose. Each of these items tell the reader a little bit about that soldier.