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The Things They Carried Passage Analysis

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Anna Nichols The Things They Carried The men carried letters from Martha, P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, canteens of water, canned peaches, pound cake, toothbrush, dental floss, hotel sized bars of soap, tranquilizers, steel helmets, few carried underwear, standard fatigue jackets and trousers, jungle boots, socks, Dr. Scholl’s foot powder, premium dope, condoms, a diary, comic books, an illustrated New Testament, distrust of the white man, a hunting hatchet, a steel-centered, nylon-covered flak jacket, a large compress bandage, a green plastic poncho, …show more content…

After witnessing so much violence and suffering as a medic and soldier, he has become indifferent to violence. When he repeatedly shoots an innocent animal it provides emotional relief for him after he has just watched his friend die in front of him. Page 120-121 “...the young man would not have wanted to be a soldier...try not to grow up too fast.” In this passage O’brien demonstrates his own character traits. As a writer, he has a strong ability to understand what others are feeling and sympathize. When he kills the young soldier, he creates a story around him, imaging the soldier as having similar struggles to his own. He deeply regrets the soldier's death because he feels that neither of them really wanted to be fighting in this war and relates his own life story to the fictional one he creates for the soldier. Page 160 “Jimmy Cross did not want the responsibility… to keep his men out of a shit field.” This passage shows that Jimmy is not a leader. He is very passive toward his men. He says he want to keep them safe but he does not really do anything to stop them from getting killed. He feels guilty when one of his men dies and wishes he was not in charge so he would not be responsible for their safety. This shows that he is a good person but is not willing to take

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