Introduction
All of the pieces of literature contain a specific thought the author intended to make readers pay attention to, a lesson that can be learned based on one or another character’s conduct. The book entitled “The Things They Carried,” written by American novelist Tim O’Brien is composed of stories focused on Vietnam War. The author has personal experience related to the war, doing his work between fiction and autobiography. The book enables readers to perceive soldiers’ emotions, providing insight into how wars and events they conceive change people. This essay will examine one of the main characters of the story named, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, by discussing his personality in the beginning, explaining the influence of events, which are the death of Ted Lavender, a soldier, and the burning of letters, and revealing the changes in his conduct at the end of the story.
The Personality of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross at the Beginning of the Story
At the beginning of the story, the readers are shown a young man bothered by the affection of a girl named Martha. Despite the great responsibility for soldiers Jimmy Cross possess, “more than anything, he wanted Martha to love him” instead of paying attention to the war’s events (O’Brien, 10). The author displays, in detail, the nuances of the affection thorough the story making readers perceive them and emphasize their significance. However, it is also shown how dangerous such distraction can be. Even at the important mission, deep under the earth, Jimmy Cross is focused on his thoughts instead of responsibilities as he is not in the tunnel, “he was buried with Martha under the white sand at the Jersey shore” (O’Brien, 17). Readers are shown a weak leader whose obsession with the girl endangers missions.
The Events that Influence Lieutenant Jimmy Cross
It is not surprising, at war, that any moment of hesitation or distraction can result in terrible consequences. Jimmy Cross attracted his squad’s enemies’ attention in the tunnel, and “Ted Lavender was shot in the head” (O’Brien, 18). Later, Jimmy Cross comes to the conclusion that “He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence, Lavender was now dead” (O’Brien, 20). It is revealed that the death of one of his soldiers triggered a set of changes in the lieutenant. “On the morning after Ted Lavender died, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha’s letters,” and this action is a decision of a mature man (O’Brien, 24). Therefore, it is the death of a close comrade that forces Jimmy Cross to grow and abandon his affection.
The Personality of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross at the End of the Story
At the end of the story, readers are shown a changed Jimmy Cross, who is now deprived of hesitations and fully willing to fulfill his responsibilities. O’Brien writes, “no more fantasies, he told himself” (25), indicating the issue and the greatest challenge the protagonist has struggled with. It is also possible to characterize how exactly Jimmy Cross changed by appealing to the author’s words: “He was now determined to perform his duties firmly and without negligence” (O’Brien, 26). It is evident that all the above-mentioned events have made him the mentally stronger version of himself as the significant difference between the “old” and the “new” Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is displayed.
Conclusion
In his story “The Things They Carried,” the author Tim O’Brien shows readers how the war can affect an individual, based on the tragedy of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, who lost his comrade because of his affection for the young girl. The protagonist has considerably changed as the switch from a weak leader to a true one through pain, misery, and regrets are displayed in detail. This story teaches us not to be naïve and not to follow emotions blindly, revealing the violence of wars simultaneously.
Works Cited
O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. Houghton Mifflin, 1990. Web.