Essay about Jimmy Cross Life Story - 1149 Words

There is something special about human beings. Human beings have the capacity to sacrifice themselves for others. Not all do it and many do just the opposite. In the story â€Å"The Things They Carried† by Tim O’BRIEN, demonstrates that statement. Jimmy Cross, who is 1st lieutenant of his platoon, is a man of integrity and grace which unfortunately starts to diminish throughout his journey. Jimmy begins to fantasize of, â€Å"love† which starts to interfere with his daily life, subsequently leading to his excess amount of emotional baggage that he carries, but, ultimately he realizes his fault and he begins to reconstruct his outlook on life tremendously. Fantasies, which are defined as fanciful or extravagant notions, ideas, or†¦show more content†¦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 tho ught 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, â€Å"Carried† 275). Jimmy often had trouble keeping his attention on the war (O’Brein, â€Å"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, â€Å"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 goi ng 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 hisShow MoreRelatedThey Things They Carried. Explication1280 Words   |  6 PagesLife in a Warzone Reading the short story â€Å"The Things they carried,† by Tim O Brien, creates a mesmerizing image of a war zone. It describes the tough war times for American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War. 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Read MoreJimmy Cross Character Analysis Essay1540 Words   |  7 Pages In this short story by Tim O’Brien, Lieutenant Jimmy cross leads a platoon of men in the Vietnam War. Unable to keep his thoughts from his unrequited love interested, Martha, Cross allowed his platoon to become lax in their duties and mentally removed from the war. The conflict arises when one of his men, Ted Lavender, is killed on a mission. The conflict is resolved when Lieutenant Cross abandons his youthful fantasy world for the reality of the war he is living in. Cross finds new purposeRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien976 Words   |  4 Pagesconstantly borne by soldiers. Through his use of flashbacks, imagery, and pathos, O’Brien shows just how the life of a soldier is much more than war and violence, but combating the burdens of life that soldiers carry with them. Right from the start of his story, O’Brien mentions flashbacks and shows their influence in the mind of a soldier like Jimmy Cross. The story starts off with Jimmy telling the reader about a girl from back home named, Martha. As soon as she is mentioned he drifts into a reminiscentRead MoreAnalysis Of Tim O Brien s The Things They Carried During The War Essay1532 Words   |  7 Pagesit affects them for life. The three people specifically, I will take about are First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, Norman Bowker, and Tim. Telling about how the experienced guilt, where the guilt comes from, and if they ever find absolution. The first story of two stories for First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross feels guilty about the death of Ted Lavender after he goes off by himself to pee and on his way back he was shot in the head on his way back from peeing. Cross Lieutenant Jimmy Cross feels guilty for theRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1242 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Tim O’Brien is obsessed with telling a true war story. O Brien s fiction about the Vietnam experience suggest, lies not in realistic depictions or definitive accounts. As O’Brien argues, absolute occurrence is irrelevant because a true war story does not depend upon that kind of truth. Mary Ann’s induction into genuine experience is clearly destructive as well as empowering† (p.12) Tim O’s text, The Things they Carried, details his uses of word choice to portray his tone and bias. Tim O’BrienRead MoreAnalysis Of Jimmy Cross And The Things They Carried1045 Words   |  5 Pages Analysis of Jimmy Cro ss and the Things he carried in war. Every soldier who fights in a war have different thoughts among themselves while they are on the field. They go through a difficult time staying away from their loved ones and fearing for their lives. In the story of â€Å"Things They Carried†, by O’Brien Jimmy Cross along with 17other soldiers was a part of the Vietnam war. The story is about what the soldiers carried with them physically and emotionally to the war. O’Brien has served in