Alistair Crosner Character Analysis

Due to Cross's obsession with Martha, he blames himself with the death of Ted Lavender. He was distracted from his duties as Lieutenant and let one of his men die although it is unclear how he could have taken action to prevent the death.

Lieutenant Cross was in love with a girl back home named Martha. He carried around letters that she wrote to him and pictures that she gave him. His obsession of Martha took his focus away from the war. “He had loved Martha more than his

One of his biggest fantasies about Martha was her being a virgin. In his mind, it was as if Martha belonged to him already from the way he fantasized about her. The way he fantasized about Martha can be described as “over the limit”. He often wondered who was taking pictures that Martha sent him because he could see the shadow of another person. All Lieutenant Cross wanted was to be with Martha on the shoreline of Jersey walking barefooted and caring about nothing but Martha.

We can feel the same thing he feels as he washes his hands free of dirt, anticipating the moment he can touch the letter that she sealed with her tounge and finger tips. The vivid language used here shows us the horrible constraint of war opposing with the theme of hope that these soldiers find with the small things they carry that remind them of a distant memory. For Cross, the letters keep his Martha fantasy living. Although the love may not be shared both ways, he can imagine it the way he would like it to be. O'Brien's use of description in every line gives the reader a terribly great sense of the emotional tension throught the

Salem is not what it appears to the naked eye for dishonest children accuse and condemn the innocent to swing on the gallows. The Crucible a tragedy by Arthur Miller, relates to the Salem, Massachusetts witch trials in 1692. The reputation of Salem at the time is that no one is safe, anyone can be a witch in their eyes in order for their own benefit of freedom. Truth can stand on its own against any circumstance. Such as John Proctor stands up against Abigail for the troubles she is causing. In the same way it is almost impossible to be an outlaw to this way because of the substantial consequences if you are not just like society. This ultimately brings out the darkness in Salem. Due to envy, revenge, and lies this town

By burning his special things of Martha, Lt. Cross is able to break free from the fantasy world and return to the role he was trained to do. “He was now determined to perform his duties firmly and without negligence” (327). With Lavender’s death in mind, he becomes aware of immediate dangers that may arise and begins to “impose strict field discipline” (327) to prevent death. Lt Cross “reminded

Yet, when Lavender is killed in action, Cross becomes disgusted with himself for having let his infatuation for Martha result in his negligence. His act of burning the letters serves as his way to distance himself from love. There is an inherent sense of disillusionment with the fantasy of love and the lives they hope to lead afterward once the men have been met with reality.

pictures of her. He would read the letters at the end of a long day in a foxhole he dug. He would sometimes lick the seal of the envelope because he knew that Martha’s tongue had been there. This obsession distracts Cross from the war and from his platoon.

The hysteria, craze, trials, and deaths, still rest an unsolved case. The theories of politics, rivalries, religion and the “circle girls” seem the most believable, in my eyes. However, as the happenings in Salem village still continue to mislead and amaze not only historians, but many others, the witch trials lie a great turning point for Salem, and the lives of many; let alone

In the novel, The Crucible by Arthur Miller leads the reader on a journey back to 1692 to reexplore the Salem witchcraft trials. Miller creates an atmosphere and mood in the play with the historical background and Puritan culture. People are being arrested, convicted, and are dying as trust is fading away in the Salem community. The citizens who live in Salem deal with extremely restrictive laws. Evil is characterized by believing illusional ideals that leads people to death which lead Danforth to be selfish, prideful, values his reputation, and tries to do his best for Salem yet crumbles the society.

"He states that you coldly prompted your daughter to cry witchery upon George Jacobs that is now in jail" (96). In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, people would do anything to get what they want. In the town of Salem good vs. evil plays a big role. The people of Salem are constantly debating about who is telling the truth and who is lying. People are also judged based on their religious views. Even though they had a lack of evidence, the town of Salem mislabeled people as good or evil.

In The Crucible, the Puritans of Salem allow their suspicion and fear of witchcraft to derail their attempts at creating a “City on a Hill”. Following the death of Mrs. Putnam’s children, her pain and jealousy lead to the

Love is a powerful force, and Lieutenant Cross sometimes gets lost in his musings while thinking of Martha. O’Brien writes: “His mind wandered. He had difficulty keeping his attention on the war. On occasion he would yell at his men to spread out the column, to keep their eyes open, but then he would slip away into daydreams, just pretending, walking barefoot along the Jersey shore, with Martha, carrying nothing.” Like any sane person in his situation, Lieutenant Cross wants to escape – to anywhere else but the war. The war brings terrible experiences – fear, death, hunger, and pain beyond imagination. The only way that Lieutenant Cross can endure these things is by escaping to an imaginary life with Martha. Although to her, he is little more than a friend, to Lieutenant Cross, Martha represents innocence, perfection, and a world free from war.

Character growth is also essential to the story. In the beginning Cross fantasized about a girl named Martha. He fantasizes weather or not she is a virgin and subsequently, fantasizes about different ways to take her virginity. This fantasy consumes him until the day his best friend and army compatriot, Lavender, dies. Cross believes Lavenders death to be his fault and decides to put his fantasies to rest and assume, fully, a position of true leadership. This change in character is also marked by Cross’ destruction of the picture.

Cross’ personality, such as being rude to others especially to his personal maid is because of his childhood experiences one of these is losing his mother at a very young age. He always wonders on how it feels to have and how fun it would be to grow up with a mom. He is suffering from a painful past that makes him really lonely. He may also have hard feelings and feel jealous towards other kids who appear to have a mom and a happier, more secure home life. The lack of attention he receives from his dad is also what makes him lonely and angry.