Preview

Jimmy Cross Character Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
616 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Jimmy Cross Character Analysis
In "The Things They Carried", by Tim O'Brien, the author portrays the soldiers' personalities through the things they carried on them. He also shows that some personalities aren't fit for war, you need to be strong. Throughout the story, he builds the characters personalities, and shows us who these people are, through their luggage. The main character, Jimmy Cross, is the platoon's leader. He is ordered to watch over everyone. Kiowa, a member of the platoon, is a very religious American Indian and is seen often in the story. Ted Lavender is recurrent throughout the story in Jimmy's mind. At the end of the story the significance of Pat Lavender is brought to attention. Kiowa carries a hunting hatchet and a bible in his rucksack. "Kiowa,
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Summary Of Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried
    • 1172 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Summary Of Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

    The Things They Carried, a novel by Tim O’Brien, is a collection of war stories told from a fictional Vietnam veteran’s perspective. O’Brien elucidates the physical and emotional barrier war creates between men and women to help demonstrate the frustration soldiers have with women in war.…

    • 1172 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Lieutenant Jimmy Cross Character Analysis
    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Lieutenant Jimmy Cross Character Analysis

    In the short story “The Things They Carried” Tim O’brien uses physical objects that each solider is carrying to try to give us a glimpse of their lives and some insight into their personalities. Most of the things the soldiers carried were determined by necessity, such as can openers, heat tabs, helmets and canteens of water. (269). While the reasoning for O 'brien 's “The Things They Carried” is to speak about the physical objects each soldier carried with them, the internal things they carried were much more meaningful.…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried
    • 1684 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

    Tim O’Brien is a very gifted author, but he is also a veteran of the Vietnam War and fought with the United States in that controversial war. Tim O’Brien was drafted into the Vietnam War in 1968. He served as an infantryman, and obtained the rank of sergeant and won a Purple Heart after being wounded by shrapnel. He was discharged from the Vietnam War in 1970. I believe that O’Brien’s own images and past experiences he encountered in the Vietnam War gave him inspiration to write the story “The Things They Carried.” O’Brien tells the story in third person narrative form about Lt. Jimmy Cross and his platoon of young American men in the Vietnam War. In “The Things They Carried” we can see differences and similarities between the characters…

    • 1684 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Things They Carry Jimmy Cross Analysis
    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Things They Carry Jimmy Cross Analysis

    The Things They Carried is an interesting book ,but it really doesn't make any sense.It tells about the things the soldiers carry.Tim O'brian is a very creative writer but we don't know what's true and what's not.I believe that's what makes his stories so interesting.The soldiers are the main characters in the story.They're tough, and carry the knowledge that they might die at any time. They carry the fear of embarrassment and the fear of blushing. They don't talk about these things, and they mock guys who take the easy way…

    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Jimmy Cross Analysis
    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Jimmy Cross Analysis

    The short story "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien takes place in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. In this story we are introduced to First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his platoon. They all differ in age and ethnicity, and have different views on the Vietnam War. One thing that they all have in common is that they bear the weight of their country on their back, but they also have different emotions weighing on their hearts at the same time. We see three different sides to Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, the soldier, the love stricken man and the leader that has learned a valuable lesson. Each of his characters carries something different.…

    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Tim O Brien Use Repetition In The Things They Carried
    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Does Tim O Brien Use Repetition In The Things They Carried

    Tim O'Brien, in his short story “The Things They Carried,” writes about what soldiers in Vietnam carried, literally and figuratively. He discusses what they “humped,” the tangible things and the intangible ones too. For example, all the men carried flak jackets which had a real defined weight but also they carried fear and “all the emotional baggage of men who might die” (21). We can touch the flak jacket but not the fear or Jimmy Cross' love for Martha.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Vietnam Soldier In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried
    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Vietnam Soldier In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

    Many traits of man¡¦s inner nature are revealed through war. In the novel The Things They Carried, the characters of this series of stories embody traits of soldiers in the Vietnam War. Through writing, the author, Tim O¡¦Brien, portrays his feelings as a Vietnam soldier through this novel. He describes the loss of three fellow soldiers, Ted Lavender, Curt Lemon, and Kiowa and depicts the guilt and blame these deaths evoke.…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Jimmy Corrigan Character Analysis
    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Jimmy Corrigan Character Analysis

    Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest kid on Earth was an interesting read; full of awkward moments, discomfort, foul language and sadness; not my favorite read.…

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Jimmy Cross Character Analysis
    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Jimmy Cross Character Analysis

    “It was not courage, exactly; the object was not valor. Rather, they were too frightened to be cowards” (pg 22). This quote perfectly embodies the view Tim O’Brien has on courage, as he eloquently demonstrates in his book The Things They Carried. Although all the characters of this novel display O’Brien’s point of view, the three shining examples of this are Norman Bowker, Jimmy Cross, and Tim O’Brien himself.…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Jimmy Cross's Fight For Dominance
    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Jimmy Cross's Fight For Dominance

    Tim O'Brien tells a highly emotional story, “The Things They Carried,” in which he weaves two memories of First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross's life together. These two significant parts of Cross seem to be trying to compete to be the more dominant, one being of lovely Martha from back home who has captured Cross's heart and attention; she sent him letters that “were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping” (1) for a sweet declaration of love. Cross's other life is that of the moment, where he is in the middle of the Vietnam War. The narrator describes his as well as seven other men's journey while they venture through this danger and of the things carried by each of the men “largely determined by necessity” (1). The symbolic letters from Martha are prominent throughout the entirety of Tim O'Brien's short story, however the connotation associated with these tokens does not remain consistent.…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Military Manhood In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried
    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Military Manhood In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

    A man must also show unyielding loyalty to the men in their group, squad or platoon and evenmore so when lives are at risk. Often time loyalty is shown in the form of, “no man left behind” or sustaining the memory of a fallen brother. The the realistic novel “ The Things They Carried” by Tim O'Brien, loyaty is embodied by the overall novel and the events within it. “The Things They Carried” a retelling of the Vietnam War centered around Lieutenant Jim Cross and his company. In the relling of these men's lives, the ordeal they went through and their deaths, keeps the memories of these fallen soliders alive. In the story one of the solider, Ted Lavender is killed in action and after he dies the other soliders “wrapped Lavender in his poncho” and “carried him out to a dry paddy... until the chopper came” (O'Brien 347) By carrying Lavender's body to the chopper to be taken home instead of leaving him where he died shows the men's loyalty and respect. The upheld U.S military code, to not leave anyone behind if it can be helped and honored him by not letting him rot on foreign soil. Another aspect of loyalty and respect is avenging the death of a love one. After the chopper lefts the group of men burned Than Khe down and exacted total carnage on the place. To get revenge on the people who took a love one away in the most intense manifestation of loyalty and though Lavender was not…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Things They Carried Rhetorical Analysis
    • 1045 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Things They Carried Rhetorical Analysis

    The Things They Carried, written by Tim O’Brien, recounts the horrible experiences of soldiers at war in Vietnam. Throughout the novel, the author not only tells war stories, but tales about his own life, often referencing and dwelling on those who have made an impact on his life. He stresses the importance of these people and stories, often referring to them as “war stories” although many of these are not true. They serve as an outlet for O’Brien, allowing him to let go of these horrible memories but also letting him keep the importance that they had on his life. These stories and messages are emphasized through the symbols displayed in the novel, the imagery used throughout, and the anecdotes that recount his memories.…

    • 1045 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Jacob Jones Character Analysis
    • 312 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Jacob Jones Character Analysis

    Jacob Jones, an introvert sophomore, exerts his energy into basketball rather than talking. It is said Jones has three special character traits that not many talented athletes his age have: focus, priorities, and the ability to be humble.…

    • 312 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Things They Carried Literary Analysis
    • 1234 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Things They Carried Literary Analysis

    The fiction novel written by Tim O’Brien called The Things They Carried uses a lot of nonfiction stories within the novel. O’Brien also uses characterization of the soldiers in the platoon to illustrate the emotional weight that they carry. Tim O’Brien in The Things They Carried mentions,” By and large they carried these things inside, maintaining the masks of composure”(21). He focuses on Jimmy Cross, Mark Fossie, Kiowa, Curt Lemon and several other soldiers in the platoon including himself.…

    • 1234 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Things They Carried Formalist Analysis/ Readers Responce
    • 1168 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Things They Carried Formalist Analysis/ Readers Responce

    O’brien repeatedly states what each soldier is carrying for two reasons. The first reason is character development. The more the reader knows about a character’s possessions the more he/she effectively knows about the characters themselves. An example of this would be how Cross carries a picture of a girl, fantasizing whether or not she is a virgin. Dobbins carries extra rations and his girlfriend’s pantyhose around his neck. This implies superstition and an above average weight. Ted Lavender carries weed and tranquilizers to placate his anxiety. This suggests an inability to cope with death or violence; perhaps wartime as a whole. Finally Kiowa carries an illustrated copy of the new testament and a knife given to him by his father. These possessions allude to the fact that he is a man of god with a respect for his father. I think it id ironic, though, that all of these men’s non-military items are of no real consequence in the war. They don’t do anything. It could be argued…

    • 1168 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics