Preview

Summary: The Things They Carried Response

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
350 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Summary: The Things They Carried Response
The Things They Carried Response In the novel, The Things They Carried, written by Tim O’Brien, there is an apparent main character, Lieutenant Cross. Throughout the duration of the novel, we the readers learn of Cross’ love for a woman named Martha. Martha is a friend of Lt. Cross from back home, although he wishes that she could be more than just a friend. He once took her on a date, but it did not escalate to anything more before he left for war. For a majority of the book, Lt. Cross carries a pebble in his mouth, and letters with him wherever he goes. Both of these objects were sent to him by Martha. The fact that he carries around both of these symbolizes his love for her, and that he does not want to ever let her go. If he let

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    5. Why do you think the medic would need “M&M’s for especially bad wounds” (para. 9)?…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “The Things They Carried” was written through the eyes of the main character, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. Throughout the duration of this short story, Lieutenant Cross is battling with himself internally.…

    • 281 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    "The Things They Carried:" This story introduces the reader to O'Brien's platoon leader, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. The story travels between Cross' obsession with a girl named Martha that he claims he's in love with her because they went on ONE date and the death of Ted Lavender, and an itemized list of what the men carried…

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the first chapter of The Things They Carried, “The Thing They Carried”, Tim O’Brien uses the motif of intangible weights the men carry and how they have the strength to alter one's performance and emotional state at war. The intangible weight of Martha's love is like a barbell Jimmy Cross can never seem to let go of. Continuously carrying extra weight, Cross expresses how he "love[d] Martha more than his men" (6), which results in the death of one of his men soldiers Ted Lavender. Cross’s love for Martha distracts him from his responsibility as a lieutenant to have the backs of and “love” (6) his men. The intangible weight of Martha's love that he can't return distracts Cross from his duty as a lieutenant. Being distracted from his responsibilities…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In a time of war, feelings are always put aside because the obligation of being a soldier comes first while family, friends, and even human feelings such as love are tossed aside. In The Things They Carried, Jimmy Cross, the main character, is in love with a…

    • 1476 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Things They Carried” is about the thoughts and actions of Jimmy Cross, a lieutenant of an Army unit on active combat duty in the Vietnam War. Lt. Cross is worried by thoughts of Martha, a young woman he dated before he joined the Army. He thinks about letters she wrote him, whether or not she is a virgin. And about how much he loves her and wants her to love him. Her letters do not indicate that she feels the same way. The narrator lists things that the soldiers carry with them, both tangible and intangible, such as Lt. Cross's picture of and feelings for Martha.…

    • 1442 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    O’Brien introduces Lieutenant Jimmy Cross as the company leader who often has daydreams about the unrequited love of a girl named Martha. Cross carries memorabilia of Martha such as “pictures” (98) and a “good luck pebble” (99) to edge his mind off the burdens of war. This lets the readers know that Cross’s attention is not fully toward the leadership or protection of his platoon and may result in the reader questioning whether or not Cross is a suitable leader. Later on in the story Ted Lavender, a soldier from the alpha company, was shot going to the bathroom while Cross had Martha’s pebble in his mouth; this incident is the end of Cross’s obsession for Martha. Feeling guilty for Ted Lavenders death, Cross decides to mask his uncertainty and be the leader the alpha company needs him to be.…

    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story The Things They Carried, Lt. Jimmy Cross carries letters from a woman named Martha. Although she always signs her letters as “Love, Martha” he understands that this is not the form of love he so desires. As well as the letters, he also…

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Most people don’t know what surrealism is. Surrealism is when things are real but exaggerated. For example when you watch a sci-fi movie not all of it can be true. Surrealism pertains to these chapters in” The Things They Carried” because it talks about war stories that might be true or have some facts that are stretched out.…

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tim O’Brien’s story about vietnam war is The Things They Carried. This work tells what the soldiers went through the time during Vietnam. As the story begins, it focuses on the Alpha Company is sent to fight in Vietnam war. The soldiers carry goods and personal items to be able to survive. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carries letters and pictures from a female named Martha. The first casualty for the company is Ted Lavender, shot dead. Cross blames himself for the death because he thinks he was too busy thinking about Martha to properly take care of his troops. O’Brien received a draft letter and he is not looking forward to going into war because he had just graduated Harvard for graduate school. He was stuck between wanting to run or doing what everyone expected which…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien discusses the tangible and intangible items that the soldiers carry with them daily. While some of these items are the necessities of war, such as ammunition, riffles, and rations, the soldiers also carry items along the war front that signify a remembrance of their home front. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, for example, carries with him throughout the battle field various reminders of his love of Martha, a young woman from back home. He carries the letters she wrote to him and photos of her in his backpack, along with a good luck pebble that she has sent to him in his mouth. Henry Dobbin, another soldier, carries his girlfriend’s pantyhose around his neck. These objects that the soldiers carry serve as a distraction for them from the…

    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The characters of the story “The Things They Carried” mainly were inflicted with two kinds of weights: physical and emotional burden. In the first chapter, Tim O’ Brien sets up his storytelling by writing long lists of the things the soldiers were carrying in the War in Vietnam. Beyond the basic gears of war, he goes on mentioning the personal luggage that varied from person to person, mostly depending on their necessity, helping the reader to get to know the protagonists in a deeper sense this way. To know their souls, their customs, and the way they would probably live their “normal” lives. A letter, a photograph, a bible, the drugs, condoms, comic books, and a pair of moccasins are all life-story-telling property.…

    • 294 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien, brings to light the psychological impact of what soldiers experience during times of war. We learn that the effects of traumatic events weigh heavier on the minds of men than all of the provisions and equipment they shouldered. Wartime truly tests the human body and mind, to the point where a few men return home completely destroyed. Many soldiers have been driven to the point of mentally altering reality in order to survive day to day. Furthermore, an indefinite number of men became numb to the deaths of their comrades, and yet they each individually harboured a desire to die and bring a conclusion to their misery. Over all, this story allows us to observe changes within the mentalities of army officers.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “The Things They Carried,” Lieutenant Cross learned his lesson to cope with adversity. Other than military equipment, the soldiers carried what could help them coping…

    • 1002 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Things They Carried

    • 1524 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The short story I chose to write my essay on is "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien. The soldiers in the story had to deal with not only accepting the deaths of those they became close with, but also dealing with the knowledge that they took another human beings' life. The author shows how they had to carry not only their equipment; but the emotions that came along with being in a war. The emotions I speak of are ones that come from knowing they were mere grunts-and as such, were replaceable. That moment where they silly cease to exist could arrive when they least expected it. This analysis is about the way Cross and his soldiers dealt with the war, not physically but emotionally.…

    • 1524 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays