There are 9 characters in the story. Although they were all working together as a team, they are all also different from each other. Each character chose items of their own to carry with them. These small items say so much about who the person is in the story. The characters ranged from carrying about everyone else to having no morals toward anyone.
Lieutenant Jimmy Cross was talked about the most. He was a young romantic man. He was always thinking about the woman he loved, Martha. He carried letters, pictures, and a good luck pebble, all from Martha. He cares about others, not just himself. “While Kiowa explained how Lavender died, Lieutenant Cross found himself trembling. He tried not to cry.” (O’Brien, 103) Lieutenant Cross blamed himself for the death of another.
Henry Dobbins seemed like the big, lazy, and possibly perverted type. “As a big man, therefore a machine gunner.” (O’Brien, 98) This give the impression that Henry does not run around like the others. He just stays in one spot shooting guns, so he does not need to be in shape. He carried extra canned fruit in heavy syrup. He also wore his girlfriend’s panty hose around his neck as his good luck charm.
“Dave Jensen, who practiced field hygiene, carried a toothbrush, dental floss, and several hotel-sized bars of soap.” (O’Brien, 97) He also carried extra socks, vitamins, ear plugs, empty sand bags, and a rabbits foot for good luck. He seemed to be the paranoid one of the group. He wanted to keep as healthy as possible. The rabbits foot is a sign that he worries, because it is not a symbol of anything or anyone special, just good luck.
Ted Lavender was also paranoid, but more about safety. Ted was afraid of dying. He carried extra tranquilizers and ammunition. He also carried dope with him. It was probably used to calm himself down.
Kiowa was the religious one of the group. He carried the new testament and a few items from his grandparents. He was probably the purest one in the sense that he did not have as much experience as the others. When Ted died, Kiowa seemed to be shocked about it the most, like he was in disbelief. He could not stop talking about it. Describing how Ted died, “Like cement, Kiowa whispered in the dark. I swear to God - boom, down. Not a word.” (O’Brien, 103)
Norman Bowker, Rat Kiley, and Lee Strunk seemed to be 3 average guys. They were still all different, but not a dramatic difference. Norman seemed like the quiet type that writes in his diary that he carried. Rat seemed like the smart medic that carried comic books. Lee seemed like the young preppy, pretty boy that carried a sling shot and tanning lotion.
Lastly, Mitchell Sanders was the badass character with no morals. He carried with him condoms and brass knuckles. “He put his hand on the dead boy’s wrist. He was quiet for a time, as if counting a pulse, then he patted the stomach, almost affectionately, and used Kiowa’s hunting hatchet to remove the thumb.” (O’Brien, 101)
Each of these items carried showed a part of each character in the story. The items show some personality traits, morals, values, beliefs, habits, and hobbies. There is so much to be said about a person just by the item they chose to hold. Even though everyone had the same common goal, they were still unique in their own way.
