As we
ponder Lieutenant Cross's personal war experience, we are led to question his obsession with
Martha. Even though Cross suspects that Martha's affection for him may well be illusory, he
continues to think about her during the most inopportune moments.
After Ted
Lavender's death, Lieutenant Cross burns Martha's letters and pictures. It's supposed to be a
cathartic act, but it brings him little pleasure. Cross realizes that he both loves and hates
Martha. He loves her because of his intrinsic longing for feminine affection. Yet, he hates her
because he knows that his obsession with her virginity is pointless; it is nothing but a cynical
attempt on his part to take his mind off the horrors of war. Lieutenant Cross's inability to
process his feelings of disillusionment with soldiering is the real reason he has placed Martha
on a pedestal.
Cross knows that his emotional connection to Martha is a
mirage and that he can lay no claim to her love. However, he needs her; without his
fixation,...
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