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
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have been very beneficial to Jimmy Cross in Tim O’Brien’s‚ The Things They Carried. Although he was a symbol of Jesus Christ‚ Cross knew he could have been a better leader‚ especially with how absorbed he was in his love‚ Martha. By burning his letters and photographs of Martha‚ though‚ Jimmy Cross came to terms with a reconciliation emphasized by the themes there is an abiding concern with the question of battlefield courage and love overrules war. To begin‚ Jimmy Cross had a spiritual reassessment
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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. Tim O’Brien is fairly conscious of the difference between cowardice and bravery. To him‚ courage is not fulfilling what is socially accepted‚ but continuing to uphold
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up because it was under a communist government. The United States tried to prevent the spread of communism. What Jimmy Cross‚ Ted Lavender‚ and Kiowa carry is decided by their fears‚ homesickness‚ or desperate need of distraction from the war. The First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carries many things‚ but‚ most importantly‚ he carries the responsibilities of the other men. “Lieutenant Cross carries two photographs of Martha” (98). Carrying these things makes him fantasize about her all day‚ causing him
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Analysis of “The Things They Carried” Lieutenant Jimmy cross serves as a metaphor for the Vietnam War‚ particularly the war’s lack of a definite structure. The dominant trait of Jimmy Cross is that he is lacks a definite purpose and he fails in his role as the leader of the Alpha Company who should offer clear instructions to his troops on what to do. The author Tim O’Brien used Jimmy cross to show how situations that people are placed in lead to external and internal conflict. The war made Jimmy
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is to speak about the physical objects each soldier carried with them‚ the internal things they carried were much more meaningful. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is the protagonist of the story. Cross carries many things while he is away at war but he mostly carries Martha. Cross is responsible for being a leader to all the soldiers who he is with. His character seems to be unsure about the orders he gives and also‚ seems to feel very guilty anytime anything bad happens. It is obvious that he feels the
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matter the weight or size. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross‚ who had much love for a young girl named Martha‚ carried light weight objects with a very special meaning for each one of them. Some of the things he carried that reminded him of Martha were photographs of her. One of the photographs he carried was an action shot of her playing volleyball with her knees visible. Looking at the photograph‚ “Lieutenant Jimmy Cross remembered touching that left knee” (4). Cross was able to recall the night he went on
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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
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English 111 December 8‚ 2013 Lieutenant Jimmy Cross In the continuous mix of gruesome and heart wrenching but yet still enticing short stories and war memories The Things they Carried byTim O’Brian leads us to fall in love and form a bond with one of the main characters in the book Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. Tim O’Brian faces Jimmy Cross with the constant struggle of surviving while fighting in Vietnam. While trying to maintain his sanity‚ Jimmy"s inner struggle is between his old self and
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“The Things They Carried” is a story about what is most important to a soldier‚ practical and emotional. Jimmy Cross tells how pictures‚ letters‚ bibles‚ and journals were just as important as guns‚ medical supplies‚ and radio contact. A soldier couldn’t do what he does without some ties to real life‚ beyond the war. As Jimmy Cross said‚ “It wasn’t cruelty‚ just stage presence. They were actors and the war came at them in 3-D.” The letters and pictures helped them stay grounded‚ a hope for a life
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