Martha in Cross' Mind

Martha helps Cross get through the war in many ways. Two of the most prominent ways she does this is by reminding him of beauty every time he thinks of her, and she helps him by giving him something to look forward to when the war ends. When Cross thinks about Martha, he is almost always reminded of how beautiful she is. This helps Cross by letting him escape from the brutality and ugliness of war. He also frequently thinks about getting home to see Martha. This is good for Lieutenant Cross because it can help him focus on getting out of the war as safe and as soon as possible. However, Martha can also have negative effects on Cross. Sometimes he daydreams about her and loses track of what he is doing, which can be extremely dangerous during a war. Cross eventually burns his letters from Martha because he believes that thinking about her can be too much of a liability to him and his squads safety.