The Things They Carried Passage Analysis

He wanted someone to blame for his hardships and the easiest target was the medic that was too nervous to properly treat him when he was shot. In his need for revenge, the reader can see that O’Brien has become taken his skill of storytelling to bring bring people back from the dead has gone from being good to immoral as he reanimates these soldiers to frighten someone else for a prank rather than in respect. This passage implies to the reader that the protagonist of this story can morph into the role of the antagonist when his main desire is revenge. Comparing O’Brien’s character at this point in the novel to the earlier stories one can realize that he went from believe he was too good for war to becoming a person that emcompasses all aspects of the

In the list of all the things the soldiers carried, what item was most surprising? Which item did you find most evocative of the war? Foot powder was most surprising to me. This also shows us how much these soldiers had to travel in the war.

“They were tough. They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing--...They carried their reputations. … carried the soldier 's greatest fear,which was the fear of blushing. It

The first layer was the necessities, such as food, lighters, canteens full of water, and clean clothes. Necessities are very important when thinking about how the soldiers kept up with their physiological needs. The next layer of the types of objects they carried, would be their weapons and safety equipment. These are significant because it not only kept them safe but, helped them feel safety and security emotionally. The next layer consists of objects that are best described as personal. These items are, but not limited to photos, good luck charms, and other items that have an emotional toll on the person who the item belongs to. These items are significant because it shows their humanity toward others and to themselves. The last layer and by far the heaviest burden the men carried, were their emotional baggage. “They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror,love, longing –these were intangibles”.(O’brien,pg.9) Jimmy Cross, held and his men carried the doubts, fear, and cowardice of their combat unit. Crosses men were doing there jobs for pride, and dignity, and because they were too afraid not to. To die of cowardice, would be unheroic and their deaths would be in

In Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried the issue of maturity is an ever occurring theme within the novel that sets out to tackle and open up for discussion of it on a broader level. Specifically within the chapters "Friends" and "Enemies" it is clear that both Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen are wedged in a personal psychological war. This issue faces many young adults but is perverted by the war and the tragic loss of innocent life. Many feel that the purpose of O'Brien's The Things They Carried is to show hardships and reality of war. While that is true, the most important issue and debate brought up is the rapid transformation of our young soldiers while they have to face the atrocities of war. Although, Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen

Jimmy Cross is the First Lieutenant who carries “the responsibility for the lives of his men” (O’Brien 429). Cross let his imagined love get in the way of his responsibilities and one of his men was killed. Cross carries the weight of Lavender’s death and adds that to the weight of his renewed responsibility to his men (427-437).

The soldiers carried the individual items necessary for individual jobs and sentimental mementoes from home, such as Rat Kiley, the

Ted Lavender, which was one of the men in Jimmy’s platoon was shot in the head on his way back from using the restroom. This incident leads jimmy to have numerous feelings of regret and remorse. He thought about what happened time and time again, thinking about what he could’ve done that day Ted Lavender was killed. His mind wandered (O’Brein, “Carried” 275). Jimmy often had trouble keeping his attention on the war (O’Brein, “Carried” 275). Martha, was on his mind constantly day in a day out. He sometimes thought of Martha’s smooth young face, thinking he loved her more than anything, more than his men, and now Ted Lavender was dead because he loved her so much and could not stop thinking about her (O’Brien, “Carried” 274). Shame is what Jimmy had started to take upon himself. Loving Martha more than his men was the main reason his acceptance of the blame because he believed it was initially his own mistake. Consequently, when a man dies there is usually blame on some part whether it be nature or some other factor in life. Jimmy cross understood this notion. He could blame the war. He could blame Kiowa for going to it. He could blame the enemy. He could blame god. He could blame an old women in Omaha who forgot to vote. Jimmy Cross could’ve put the blame on any one of those factors; instead he put the blame on himself because he began to realize he needed to go forward in life, and change how he lead his

Lieutenant Jimmy Cross kept close to him several letters and photos that were given to him by another character outside of the war named Martha. Though his love and unconditional affection that he had for her was significant for him to survive the war, his belongings were the same reasons why he began to ignore the responsibilities that he had toward his soldiers. It completely blinded him from what was actually happening right in front of him which was why he neglected his task and team that he needed to take care of during the time. Although he did carry items that were related to the character Martha, he also brought along with him things that were necessary for him and his soldiers to survive the war. Things included compasses, code books, and maps, etc. "He carried a strobe light and the responsibility for the lives of his men" (O' Brien 5). This quote is significant in showing

O’Brien’s tale harps upon the physical weight of the items the soldiers carry. The gear required to protect the soldiers from basic physical harm weighed nearly ten pounds. Rations, water, and survival tools were carried in a twenty-pound pack, strapped to their backs to be carried during every march (O’Brien 1). Soldiers carried objects because of rank

In Tim O'brien's, The Things They Carried, it describes the violent and emotional journey a group of men had to endure as they were trying to survive the Vietnam War. This was no easy task as war has some very rough conditions for people to live with. The group of men, led by First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, face some challenging situations but in every situation Lieutenant Cross finds himself involved in some way. The things Lieutenant Cross endured would have been hard for any man.

If the soldiers found a weapon worth carrying they would pick it up such as, captured AK-47’s and black market Uzis. All of the men in the platoon carried sentimental items. Some carried good luck items and some just souvenirs from their tour. For example Jimmy Cross carried pictures and letters from a girl that didn’t love him like he wanted. Kiowa carried a bible.

Each soldier carried with them items, some tangible others intangible, which helped them to adapt their minds and escape from the setting so that they could survive the traumatic events taking place. “Ted Lavender carried six or seven ounces of premium dope.” “Rat Kiley carried comic books.” The soldiers in the story do not only have a physical battle to deal with but also a mental one. Most of these items were a necessity in order to bear the war. However, there were a few items that the soldiers carried not because they had to or because they needed it to survive physically but because they needed it in order to survive emotionally. One soldier carried his wife’s pantyhose; another carried a new testament. One soldier permitted his items to take control of him and become an obsession, a trauma that took his focus away from his priorities, the war, and his men.

Jimmy cross physically carried the basic needs of survival, like his compass, maps, gun, and extra ammo. He also carried personal and emotionally items such as his unrequited love, Martha, pictures and her letters; emotionally he carried the responsibility for the lives of his men. This shows how jimmy cared about his love and the weight he has to carry for his men. This also shows us his personal life and feelings, Martha’s innocent letter and pictures gave Jimmy a sense of fantasy in his all too real reality.

The specific quote that I analyzed was "slowly, a bit distracted, he would get up and move among his men, checking the perimeter, then at full dark he would return to his hole and watch the night and wonder if Mark that was a virgin" because not only is that such a minute factor in who a person is, but also because he was completely distracted from his job which in that moment was checking on everyone's safety. The realness of how dangerous being distracted is in this type of situation is applicable to many scenarios which is why I am lead to believe that this is real. Although some may not believe that Jimmy held so tightly onto his dreams of Martha that he failed at keeping Ted Lavender safe, almost everyone can imagine an instance when distraction can kill. On an interview Tim O'Brien did with bigthink.com, he is referring to little Timmy as a character but accidentally says "hard moral choices that had never occurred to me I'd face in my life". This supports my belief in Jimmy's horrendous Martha addiction because it shows that some of his stories aren't stories,