Essay about Jimmy Cross: Life Story

At this point Lieutenant Cross came to a decision that he needed to be in the war one hundred percent. Later that night he began digging a hole with tears running down his face. These tears were tears of mourning, not only for Ted Lavender, but for him and Martha as well. At this point he realized that in order for him to fully protect his men, he would have to let Martha live in her own world. He placed Martha's letters and pictures into a flame and burned them all.

"They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing."(20) The novel The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is collection of war story that focuses around his life and relationships with people in the Vietnam War, especially the part people usually choose not to focus on: The burden, the guilt and the regret. In the war stories it is forgotten that soldiers that fought in those wars are real people that had to deal with the consequences of their actions. O'Brien integrates this into the book by making Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, the highest ranking soldier in their group, the scapegoat.

One of the most overlooked aspects in the life of a soldier is the weight of the things they carry. In Tim O'Brien's story, "The Things They Carried," O'Brien details the plight of Vietnam soldiers along with how they shoulder the numerous burdens placed upon them. Literally, the heavy supplies weigh down each soldier -- but the physical load imposed on each soldier symbolizes the psychological baggage a soldier carries during war. Though O'Brien lists the things each soldier carries, the focal point centers around the leader, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, and his roles in the war. Lt. Cross has multiple burdens, but his emotional baggage is

In the fictional novel The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien vividly explains the fear and trauma the soldiers encountered during the Vietnam War. Many of these soldiers are very young and inexperienced. They begin to witness their acquaintances’ tragic demise, and kill other innocent lives on their own. Many people have a background knowledge on the basis of what soldiers face each day, but they don’t have a clear understanding of what goes through these individual’s minds when they’re at war. O’Brien gives descriptive details on the soldiers’ true character by appealing to emotions, using antithesis and imagery.

Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is a platoon leader in Tim O’Brien’s short story “The Things They Carried.” In the story, Lt. Cross is distracted with thoughts of a college student back in the States and has to deal with the guilt that he feels when one of his men is killed while he is daydreaming about the student. War is a traumatic experience for soldiers and the story draws attention to what goes on inside the mind of soldiers in combat who put their lives on the line for their country.

This chapter starts out with O’Brien reconnecting with an old friend of his from the Vietnam war, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. Cross was a character O’Brien described as being morally obsessed with a woman he loved back home called Martha. Cross and O’Brien spent an entire day reminiscing about the times they had together in the war, as they looked over several old, war photographs. They soon came upon a photo of Ted Lavender, and Cross confessed that he still has not forgiven himself for the death of Lavender, as his death was said to be his fault because he was more focused on the thought of Martha, rather than his duties. After this happened, Cross burned the picture he had of Martha, then swore that his unlikely, distracting fantasies about her would not again cost the life of a soldier, and he attempted to forget all about her. However, Cross then runs into Martha years after the war, and he learns quickly that his love for her never faded. As the chapter comes to a close, it is left with a very different atmosphere than what it started out with. Although the chapter is short, O’Brien’s use of rhetorical devices fits such a deep, touching purpose into just 4 pages, that leaves a huge, dramatic imprint on

Imagine for the rest of your life having to live with the burden of watching not only a fellow soldier, but a friend, die knowing there was nothing you could do about it. The novel The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien describes the encumbrances that many of the soldiers in the Vietnam War had to face, and remember for their entire life if they survived. The Things They Carried goes into detail about the relentless days they spent in Vietnam at War by telling stories of a platoon that the author was in. These stories explain the life changing burdens soldiers have to carry at war and for their entire lives.

“The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien is a short story written about the Vietnam War. The title has two meanings. The first is their duties and equipment for the war. The second, the emotional sorrows they were put through while at war. Their wants and needs, the constant worry of death were just a few of the emotional baggage they carried. During the Vietnam War, like all wars, there were hard times. Being a soldier wasn’t easy. Soldiers always see death, whether it be another soldier or an enemy. In “The Things They Carried,” Tim O’Brien explores the motivation of solders in the Vietnam War to understand their role in combat, to stay in good health, and accept the death of a fellow soldier.

Our introduction stated that in “The Things They Carried,” author Tim O’Brien tells us not directly of the soldiers of Vietnam, or the situations they find themselves in, but about the things they carry on their shoulders and in their pockets. These “things” identify the characters and bring them to life."  I find that to be true as the author unfolds the stories about war and the uncommon things one carries in to war both inadvertently and on purpose.   As it was noted: "Stories about war – especially today – usually emphasize heroism and supporting our troops. Yet, these are completely absent in “The Things They Carried,” again I find this to be true also.  In attempting to Analyze why there is an absence of heroism and heroic acts in “The Things They Carried” I discovered that the author comes at his stories from a completely different view point and it is complex.  Example: he names himself as a fictional character and a Protagonist.  Although this is a fictional story it reads like a biography or a set of memory 's from the war in Vietnam, in which all the stories connect.  An unnamed narrator describes in third person the thoughts and actions of Lt. Jimmy Cross, a lieutenant in the Army.  Lt. Cross thoughts are of a woman named Martha, who he dated, her letters seem to serve somewhat as torture as he wonders if she feel the same way about him as he does about her, the letter give him no clue and make him wonder even more.   Lt. Cross is a inexperienced, somewhat

They carry many things, they carry a massive amount of weight on their shoulders. However, the heaviest thing that they carry cannot be touched. The intangible weight of fear, loss, anger, and guilt far outweigh any tangible item that they could possibly possess. The Thing They Carried is not only an eye-opening collection of war stories, but it is also a love story, a memoir, and a tribute to the unimaginable things that happen to our soldiers in war zones. War changes men, makes them different, and when they come home they are not the same person and they often have trouble readjusting to the life of a civilian.

Lieutenant Jimmy Cross had a woman that he was in-love with, Martha. Martha had been a motivator of Cross, he had always thought about her and what he’d like to do with her. ”He would imagine romantic camping tips into the White Mountains in New Hampshire.” (Page 1). But as the war went on the thought of her had took over his mind. Not fully paying attention to the men during the war. While watching one of the men checking out a hole, he had spaced out of thinking about Matha. One of his men Lavender had been shot during a restroom break. Her name became a reminder of his death. “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.” (Page 16)

Written by author Tim O’Brien after his own experience in Vietnam, “The Things They Carried” is a short story that introduces the reader to the experiences of soldiers away at war. O’Brien uses potent metaphors with a third person narrator to shape each character. In doing so, the reader is able to sympathize with the internal and external struggles the men endure. These symbolic comparisons often give even the smallest details great literary weight, due to their dual meanings. The symbolism in “The Things They Carried” guides the reader through the complex development of characters by establishing their humanity during the inhumane circumstance of war, articulating what the men need for emotional and spiritual survival, and by revealing

Jimmy Cross being the immature lieutenant is affected being responsible of his men, and carries much of the war’s burden. Every time one of Cross’s men dies, he experiences deep regrettable feelings that he should have been a better

For as long as he could remember Jimmy had been an outcast. He had hoped for a fresh start at his new school. He also hoped that what he did over the summer would be obsolete. As Jimmy walked into school carrying a beige notebook, he recognized some people from the summer cape he had gone to. His mother had forced him to go to science camp over the summer, which he absolutely despised. He started to wonder if his peers would remember anything about his past.

Forty-two years after the Fall of Saigon, the Vietnam War remains an affliction for Vietnam War Veterans and their families. Millions of our youth were forced to leave their home and carry inconceivable burdens. Thus, as a Vietnam War Veteran, Tim O’Brien can depict thoroughly our Veterans’ burdens in “The Things They Carried”. His story brings us to First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his platoon in war-torn Vietnam. Cross is the commanding officer; however, he does not concentrate on the war but on his unrequited love. As a result, a Viet Cong kills one of his subordinates, Ted Lavender. His death traumatizes the platoon, especially its commander. Furthermore, the narrator also depicts the burden of not only their equipment but also their psychological distress. In response to O’Brien’s short story, Steven Kaplan writes a criticism “The undying uncertainty of the narrator in Tim O'Brien's 'The Things They Carried.'.” In his criticism, Kaplan focuses on the uncertainty of the war. He argues that O’Brien’s ultimate purpose is to display “the undying uncertainty of the Vietnam War” (10). Despite his concrete and logical argument, he fails to address the significance of the soldiers’ physical and psychological burdens, which emphasizes the story’s theme; therefore, his argument does not delineate the story entirely.