In the book “The Things They Wore”, four female characters played an important role in the lives of men. Whether imaginary or not, they showed the power that women could have over men. Although it is unknown whether these women's stories are true or not, they still have an impact on the lives of the soldiers and the main narrator. Martha, even though she's only mentioned at the beginning of the book, still plays a huge role. role in the lives of soldiers. In a way, she plays an important role in how the platoon's life went, and even why one man died. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is extremely affected by Martha being his girlfriend; he is obsessed with even the thought of her. - So obsessed with her, he even becomes distracted to the point that an accident happens for which he blames himself for the longest time. Tim's observations of Lt. Cross show that Martha was a distraction: he loved her so much. As he walked, during the hot days of early April, he carried the pebble in his mouth, turning it with his tongue, tasting the sea salt and humidity. His mind wandered. He had difficulty keeping his attention on the war. Sometimes he would shout to his men to spread out, to keep their eyes open, but then he would slip into daydreams, pretending, walking barefoot along the Jersey shore, with Martha, wearing nothing. (8) Linda is what kept Tim going throughout the book, even though only her memory played a big role in his life. Dying of a brain tumor when they were just nine years old, she inspired him to keep fighting when life was tough. For him, she was always close in spirit. He struggled with his death by dreaming, and eventually used this in his later writings during struggles. These dreams and these... middle of paper ......s, and why he writes them at all. Instead of judging him, she tries to understand and solve the problem in her own way, and this affects how he perceives her writing: I feel guilty sometimes. I'm forty-three years old and I still write war stories. My daughter Kathleen tells me it's an obsession and that I should write about a little girl who finds a million dollars and spends it all on a Shetland pony. In a way, I suppose she's right; I should forget it. But the thing about memory is that you don't forget. (33) Even if these stories were never really true, or if they were true made up to appear false, the women in them played an important role. From Martha's obsession to Linda's inspiration, Mary Anne's power to Kathleen's support, these four women had a powerful impact on the soldiers or on Tim. It just goes to show that imagination and reality aren't always too far apart..