The Things They Carried Symbolism Analysis
In “The Things They Carried”, by Tim O’Brien, the author uses symbolism in order to show the soldiers emotional and physical burdens they carry. For example, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from this woman he loved named Martha, everywhere he went in his backpack. Also, another example of the symbolism, Kiowa, another soldier from the story, carried around a New Testament that his father gave to him. And the final example of symbolism is when soldier Ted Lavender died, Jimmy Cross was emotionally and physically beat up. The story shows the symbolism in an indirect way, which is what makes the story unique. O’Brien really shows the physical, but mainly, the emotion burdens/ baggage all of the soldiers have. In the first part of the
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Ted Lavender was a man who got shot in the war, killing him. The emotional burden that Jimmy Cross held over it shows what relations you gain when youre in there. The author says “On the morning after Ted Lavender died, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha’s Letters.” (O’Brien 7). Whenever Ted Lavender was shot, Jimmy took it out on himself. But not only did he take it out on himself, he took it out on his love for Martha. He could feel as if he put all his focus on loving and day dreaming about them being together, and not as if he was there for his men when they needed him. Jimmy Cross has many emotional burdens with his time he spent in the war. Another part in the story says “He carried a strobe light and the responsibility for the lives of his men.” (O’Brien 4) This meaning, Jimmy was always carrying around a “strobe light”, but symbolizing that he feels the need to be watching them and taking care after them at all times; coming with the emotional and physical burdens he gets with them. In the story “The Things They Carried”, by Tim O’Brien, the author uses symbolism to show the physical and emotional burdens the solder carry with them. Throughout the story we hear just about everything that just about ever soldier carried. And no matter how random it be, whether it be a condom, a gun, letters a pebble or a bible it still gave those emotional men hope and comfort in that they
Ted Lavender was a man who got shot in the war, killing him. The emotional burden that Jimmy Cross held over it shows what relations you gain when youre in there. The author says “On the morning after Ted Lavender died, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha’s Letters.” (O’Brien 7). Whenever Ted Lavender was shot, Jimmy took it out on himself. But not only did he take it out on himself, he took it out on his love for Martha. He could feel as if he put all his focus on loving and day dreaming about them being together, and not as if he was there for his men when they needed him. Jimmy Cross has many emotional burdens with his time he spent in the war. Another part in the story says “He carried a strobe light and the responsibility for the lives of his men.” (O’Brien 4) This meaning, Jimmy was always carrying around a “strobe light”, but symbolizing that he feels the need to be watching them and taking care after them at all times; coming with the emotional and physical burdens he gets with them. In the story “The Things They Carried”, by Tim O’Brien, the author uses symbolism to show the physical and emotional burdens the solder carry with them. Throughout the story we hear just about everything that just about ever soldier carried. And no matter how random it be, whether it be a condom, a gun, letters a pebble or a bible it still gave those emotional men hope and comfort in that they