Guilt In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried
“No amount of guilt can change the past and no amount of worrying can change the future”- Umar Ibn Khattab
At some point in each person’s life, they will feel guilt. Guilt is a valuable emotion, as it helps to maintain ties to the people around you. In the novel, “The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien, every soldier felt guilt when a unit member got killed or something tragic happened. This guilt felt by the soldiers was exemplified by Dave Jensen and Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. Decisions that both individuals made created the feeling of guilt, which resulted in a change of emotion in them. Jensen’s guilt was temporary, while Cross’s guilt was more long-lasting.
Jensen and Lee Strunk had formed a pact, which stated that if either one …show more content…
As a result, each time he is led into battle with several men that he is in charge of, he is always hesitant in his actions. Cross’s decisions that led to the deaths of Ted Lavender and Kiowa made Cross dejected and talk down on himself. Each time one of Cross’s men died, he felt a feeling of guilt for the death, but this feeling of guilt was most acute with Ted Lavender’s death. Right before Lavender was killed, Cross became distracted by thoughts of his old classmate, Martha, who frequently sends him photographs and letters. His innocent thoughts are then interrupted by Lavender’s death, which made him come to a personal consensus that he loves Martha more than his men: “Jimmy rubbed his eyes and said he’d never forgiven himself for Lavender’s death.” As a result, Cross started to talk down on himself, leading to his dejected emotions. In addition, Cross felt guilty and constantly blamed himself for the death of Kiowa, who had died by being sucked into a “shit field”: “Jimmy Cross stood very still, afraid to move, yet knowing he had to, and then he murmured to himself, “My fault…” (162). Cross’s constant reminder to himself that Kiowa’s death was his fault also leads to his crestfallen feelings. Although Cross blamed himself for the death of his soldier’s each unit member is able to be held accountable, and each unit member felt guilt as
At some point in each person’s life, they will feel guilt. Guilt is a valuable emotion, as it helps to maintain ties to the people around you. In the novel, “The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien, every soldier felt guilt when a unit member got killed or something tragic happened. This guilt felt by the soldiers was exemplified by Dave Jensen and Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. Decisions that both individuals made created the feeling of guilt, which resulted in a change of emotion in them. Jensen’s guilt was temporary, while Cross’s guilt was more long-lasting.
Jensen and Lee Strunk had formed a pact, which stated that if either one …show more content…
As a result, each time he is led into battle with several men that he is in charge of, he is always hesitant in his actions. Cross’s decisions that led to the deaths of Ted Lavender and Kiowa made Cross dejected and talk down on himself. Each time one of Cross’s men died, he felt a feeling of guilt for the death, but this feeling of guilt was most acute with Ted Lavender’s death. Right before Lavender was killed, Cross became distracted by thoughts of his old classmate, Martha, who frequently sends him photographs and letters. His innocent thoughts are then interrupted by Lavender’s death, which made him come to a personal consensus that he loves Martha more than his men: “Jimmy rubbed his eyes and said he’d never forgiven himself for Lavender’s death.” As a result, Cross started to talk down on himself, leading to his dejected emotions. In addition, Cross felt guilty and constantly blamed himself for the death of Kiowa, who had died by being sucked into a “shit field”: “Jimmy Cross stood very still, afraid to move, yet knowing he had to, and then he murmured to himself, “My fault…” (162). Cross’s constant reminder to himself that Kiowa’s death was his fault also leads to his crestfallen feelings. Although Cross blamed himself for the death of his soldier’s each unit member is able to be held accountable, and each unit member felt guilt as