Wartime Effects In Tim O 'Brien's The Things They Carried'
Christana Adeyemi
Professor C. Goodison
English 1121
March 3, 2014
Wartime Effects
In “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, the main character, Jimmy Cross drafted into the United States Army where he served as an infantryman in Vietnam. In the beginning of the story O’Brien, introduce Jimmy Cross as the Lieutenant who is in love with his college crush, Martha. These points lead to the transformation of Lieutenant Cross actions, in which he matures from a man deeply in love to a leader ready to take reasonability.
To be a lieutenant in the army one has to lead from the front and put their troops first but with Jimmy Cross being a leader was worthless. In the story, O’Brien uses vivid images to show his audience both the physical and mental “things” the characters carry throughout the story, which allows us, the reader, to see how the characters react to war. For example, Lieutenant Jimmy …show more content…
Cross carried various reminders from Martha like letters, photographs, and her good luck pebble instead of necessities. After a long march he would “…unwrap the letters, hold them with the tips of his fingers, and spend the last hour pretending…sometimes taste the envelope flaps, knowing her tongue had been there” (O’Brien 344) hoping one day she will return his love. As you can see, Martha is more important to him than the life of his comrades and himself.
One day, when the company is on a mission outside the Than Khe, Cross imagines the tunnel closing in on Martha and him, “…he tried to concentrate on Lee Strunk and the war, all the dangers, but his love was too much for him…” (350). While he thinking about weather or not she is a virgin Ted Lavender, a fellow comrade, comes back from the bathroom and gets shot. Still, Lieutenant Cross can only think about Martha. After Ted Lavender dies the turning point for Lieutenant Cross begins. O’Brien uses Kiowa, the only character who saw Lavender die as a way for Jimmy to feel remorseful. Every time Kiowa mentioned Lavender and how he dies Lieutenant Cross, would feel pain and start to tremble. He had never told Lavender to go to the bathroom, but since he was his responsibility, he felt responsible. For this reason he knew he had to pick between being a frontrunner or to keep thinking about Martha. “He felt shame. He hated himself. He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war,” (353) allows us to see Lieutenant Cross decision.
As we know, Martha’s letters and photograph were the most significant things to Lieutenant Cross.
They were a symbol of the love he wanted her to feel for him so he carried them everywhere, but when Lavender died, he burned them showing the climax of Lieutenant Cross transformation. Burning these two things in the rain showed his struggle in letting go and taking the first step in being a leader. Even though Martha items were gone, he had her image and her words stunk in his head. He tried to erase them but all he could see was “Martha playing volleyball in her white gym shorts and yellow T-shirt” (357). The guilt and grief he felt for Lavender’s death was so powerful that he was forced to forget about a girl who did not love him. After burning her letters and photographs, he finally understood that what he had with Martha was not real and that she belonged to another world. “Lieutenant Cross reminded himself that his obligation was not to be loved but to lead,” (358) he would stop daydreaming and get rid of his feelings towards Martha. He would now be and always be
leader.
Throughout the story, Lieutenant Cross carries his love for Martha on his shoulders. He thought his love for Martha was the most important thing in his life but due to the death of Ted Lavender, he realized his love affected the people around him. This turning point led to Jimmy Cross looking deeply within him and burning Martha’s letters and photographs. In Conclusion, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross transforms from a love sick boy to a man ready to lead his troops and fulfill his duties as a lieutenant.
Professor C. Goodison
English 1121
March 3, 2014
Wartime Effects
In “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, the main character, Jimmy Cross drafted into the United States Army where he served as an infantryman in Vietnam. In the beginning of the story O’Brien, introduce Jimmy Cross as the Lieutenant who is in love with his college crush, Martha. These points lead to the transformation of Lieutenant Cross actions, in which he matures from a man deeply in love to a leader ready to take reasonability.
To be a lieutenant in the army one has to lead from the front and put their troops first but with Jimmy Cross being a leader was worthless. In the story, O’Brien uses vivid images to show his audience both the physical and mental “things” the characters carry throughout the story, which allows us, the reader, to see how the characters react to war. For example, Lieutenant Jimmy …show more content…
Cross carried various reminders from Martha like letters, photographs, and her good luck pebble instead of necessities. After a long march he would “…unwrap the letters, hold them with the tips of his fingers, and spend the last hour pretending…sometimes taste the envelope flaps, knowing her tongue had been there” (O’Brien 344) hoping one day she will return his love. As you can see, Martha is more important to him than the life of his comrades and himself.
One day, when the company is on a mission outside the Than Khe, Cross imagines the tunnel closing in on Martha and him, “…he tried to concentrate on Lee Strunk and the war, all the dangers, but his love was too much for him…” (350). While he thinking about weather or not she is a virgin Ted Lavender, a fellow comrade, comes back from the bathroom and gets shot. Still, Lieutenant Cross can only think about Martha. After Ted Lavender dies the turning point for Lieutenant Cross begins. O’Brien uses Kiowa, the only character who saw Lavender die as a way for Jimmy to feel remorseful. Every time Kiowa mentioned Lavender and how he dies Lieutenant Cross, would feel pain and start to tremble. He had never told Lavender to go to the bathroom, but since he was his responsibility, he felt responsible. For this reason he knew he had to pick between being a frontrunner or to keep thinking about Martha. “He felt shame. He hated himself. He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war,” (353) allows us to see Lieutenant Cross decision.
As we know, Martha’s letters and photograph were the most significant things to Lieutenant Cross.
They were a symbol of the love he wanted her to feel for him so he carried them everywhere, but when Lavender died, he burned them showing the climax of Lieutenant Cross transformation. Burning these two things in the rain showed his struggle in letting go and taking the first step in being a leader. Even though Martha items were gone, he had her image and her words stunk in his head. He tried to erase them but all he could see was “Martha playing volleyball in her white gym shorts and yellow T-shirt” (357). The guilt and grief he felt for Lavender’s death was so powerful that he was forced to forget about a girl who did not love him. After burning her letters and photographs, he finally understood that what he had with Martha was not real and that she belonged to another world. “Lieutenant Cross reminded himself that his obligation was not to be loved but to lead,” (358) he would stop daydreaming and get rid of his feelings towards Martha. He would now be and always be
leader.
Throughout the story, Lieutenant Cross carries his love for Martha on his shoulders. He thought his love for Martha was the most important thing in his life but due to the death of Ted Lavender, he realized his love affected the people around him. This turning point led to Jimmy Cross looking deeply within him and burning Martha’s letters and photographs. In Conclusion, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross transforms from a love sick boy to a man ready to lead his troops and fulfill his duties as a lieutenant.