The Things They Carried Essay On Pride Analysis
Pride
Many of the characters in The Things They Carried exemplify tremendous pride in their actions, causing them to do good or bad things that they would not have the courage to do otherwise. O’Brien’s personal experience shows that the fear of being shamed before one’s fellow soldiers is a powerful motivating factor in war. He does not want to fight in a war he believes is unjust, but he does not want to be thought of as a coward. This same attitude among numerous characters sets a consistent theme in the novel.
The story “On the Rainy River” develops the theme of pride as a motivating factor, first introduced by Jimmy Cross in “The Things They Carried” and “Love.” Just as Jimmy Cross feels guilty about Ted Lavender’s death, O’Brien feels guilty about going to Vietnam against his principles. He even stated, “I feared the war, yes, but I also feared exile.” (42) “What it came down to, stupidly, was a sense of shame. I did not want people to think badly of me.” (49) By describing his personal history, O’Brien …show more content…
Curt Lemon says, “no one messes with his teeth,” and that when he’s called, he’ll “refuse to go in.” However, a few moments later, when the dentist calls him, Lemon rises and goes into the tent. He faints before the dentist can even lay a finger on him. Later that night he creeps back to the dental tent and insists that he has a killer toothache. Though the dentist can’t find any problem, Lemon demands his tooth be pulled. This event is one of the best examples of one’s pride having an effect on his course of action. Curt Lemon was afraid of what his fellow soldiers would think of him, having fainted before anything had happened. So much so, that he got a perfectly good tooth removed. In the morning, when he reveals that the dentist has pulled his tooth, he is proud, having defeated his prior nervous reaction (fainting) with an obvious display of
Many of the characters in The Things They Carried exemplify tremendous pride in their actions, causing them to do good or bad things that they would not have the courage to do otherwise. O’Brien’s personal experience shows that the fear of being shamed before one’s fellow soldiers is a powerful motivating factor in war. He does not want to fight in a war he believes is unjust, but he does not want to be thought of as a coward. This same attitude among numerous characters sets a consistent theme in the novel.
The story “On the Rainy River” develops the theme of pride as a motivating factor, first introduced by Jimmy Cross in “The Things They Carried” and “Love.” Just as Jimmy Cross feels guilty about Ted Lavender’s death, O’Brien feels guilty about going to Vietnam against his principles. He even stated, “I feared the war, yes, but I also feared exile.” (42) “What it came down to, stupidly, was a sense of shame. I did not want people to think badly of me.” (49) By describing his personal history, O’Brien …show more content…
Curt Lemon says, “no one messes with his teeth,” and that when he’s called, he’ll “refuse to go in.” However, a few moments later, when the dentist calls him, Lemon rises and goes into the tent. He faints before the dentist can even lay a finger on him. Later that night he creeps back to the dental tent and insists that he has a killer toothache. Though the dentist can’t find any problem, Lemon demands his tooth be pulled. This event is one of the best examples of one’s pride having an effect on his course of action. Curt Lemon was afraid of what his fellow soldiers would think of him, having fainted before anything had happened. So much so, that he got a perfectly good tooth removed. In the morning, when he reveals that the dentist has pulled his tooth, he is proud, having defeated his prior nervous reaction (fainting) with an obvious display of