He Understood

The experience of Lieutenant Cross from pages 23 to 26 reminded me of the experiences of a character from another book, "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy. The love story in "Anna Karenina" ended up being different from our book, but the things that a man named Levin went through were similar to the things that Lietenant Cross came to "understand." To make a very long story short, Levin fell in love with a woman named Kitty, and she turned him down. He proffessed his infinate love for her, and she, becuase of her situation and complications, was unable to say yes. Levin was heartbroken. He thought he understood; Kitty hated him. He knew that he loved her, and knew that it could never be. Eventually he realized that Kitty did not hate him, and that it had been impossible at that time to say yes. Returning to "The Things They Carried", at the top of page 25 I think Lieutenant Cross understood something similar, with the same feeling that Levin had. He knew that he loved her, and knew that it could never be. He, with something more intense than chagrin, realized that he was not to be with Martha. He understood her tenderness, and that it was impossible for her to say yes, though she had not yet said no. He understood her position, and her intense feelings.