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The things they carried guilt theme essay
The things they carried guilt theme essay
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In the book The Things They Carried Tim- O’Brien experiences many altercations that either happens to him or happens to his infantry group of soldiers. This was a nonlinear novel because the chapters jump from one subject to another. O’Brien experienced tragic lifetime events in his battle career when it came to him deciding if he was going to publish a novel or not with his twenty years of active duty. O'Brien's two themes shame/guilt and storytelling/memory was being used. The themes relate to him because these are the things he uses and experiences.
Costing him the life of his friend and brother in combat, Ted Lavender. He never would forgive himself for Lavender’s death, how could he? These men were his responsibility and he was more focused on a girl on the other side of the earth. He felt the weight of guilt crawl slowly up his back and make it’s home deep in his rucksack, never to be relieved. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross wanted to find a way to ease his grieving heart.
In this chapter, Lieutenant Cross shows deep grief over what happened to Ted Lavender. Cross was distracted that day, wondering whether Martha was a virgin or not. As the soldiers waited for the helicopter to carry Lavender's body away, they smoked his marijuana and told jokes, and because he carried tranquilizers they said he was probably too high to feel pain when he was shot. The methods of dealing with their grief were substance abuse, and joking around just to make it all seem like it was not real. Cross doesn’t participate in any of this, as he feels too guilty to mourn in this way.
He tried to concentrate on ... the war, all the dangers, but his love was too much for him.” (11) Jimmy Cross’s love later becomes a burden as he blames himself for the death of Ted Lavender “because he loved [Martha] so much and could not stop thinking about her” (6). “No more fantasies, he told himself.” (23) He realized that he and Martha were a world apart.
In “The Things They Carried”, by Tim O’Brien, There are many ideas and desires running through the head of every soldier in Vietnam. It is a challenging war to fight, and also a very hard one to come home from as it was an incredibly unpopular war. Many soldiers faced conflicting desires on the battlefield, but the most interesting example of conflicting desires was Mary Anne Bell. She was the elementary school girlfriend of the young medic Mark Fossie, who was staying at a base in the mountains of Chu Lai. Many soldiers at the base always joked about it being so safe, and with so few officials, that someone could actually fly their girlfriend in and they would both be fine.
A 9-year-old girl named Linda is drafted to fight in a war in Vietnam. She is trained for a few weeks, then flown away. The young girl is scared and confused; however, Linda must hide her feelings in order to be respected. After a few days at war, she is tragically killed in action. In truth, an experience like this is enough to frighten even a 17-year-old girl or young man.
Throughout the text, Cross “could not stop thinking about [Martha]” (p. 116), unable to concentrate on the war or the men he is charged with leading. Consequently, Cross’ distraction and inadequate leadership result in Lavender’s death. Cross finds himself accountable because “he loved [Martha] 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” (p.
Tim O’Brien states, “Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war” (O’Brien 16). In this quote, Tim O’Brien explains that since Jimmy Cross blames himself about Ted Lavender’s death, he will always be in lieutenant’s head. Thus, the lieutenant will always feel the guilt. With this, Tim O’Brien makes the reader think that Jimmy Cross is the person to blame since he is the head of the group and he has to pay more attention to his plans. Having questions about his love, Martha, in his mind instead of being careful about his men is the reason of him feeling guilty that “the lieutenant’s in some deep hurt” (17).
In The Things They Carried, O'Brien explores how shame can be shown in different ways for soldiers, including shame over their own actions, shame over their weaknesses, and shame over their inability to connect with or help others. One of the most notable examples of shame in the novel is the character of Jimmy Cross, who feels intense shame and guilt over the death of one of his men, Ted Lavender. Cross blames himself for Lavender's death, feeling that he was too distracted by his own thoughts of Martha to properly lead his army. This shame continues to trouble Cross long after the incident, even after he has left Vietnam.
Cross and his obsession with Martha. Eventually, after a death in the group, LT. Cross was distracted and he decides to burn the letters Martha sent him. “On the morning after Ted Lavender died, First LT. Jimmy Cross crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha’s letters…
The Things They Carried Essay The burdens people carry everyday can be different because people have their own battles they have to deal with. Some people deal with physical burdens while others deal with emotional burdens. Most people probably prefer to deal with their burdens privately because they feel more comfortable that way.
As they came across a photo of Ted Lavender, Cross expresses how he believe that Lavender’s death was his fault. They later switch from coffee to alcohol and try to focus on stories that were not so sad. Later that night when the mood has lightened up, O’Brien asked Cross about Martha. Cross told O’Brien of a story of how they met once again at their college reunion. At the reunion, Cross learned that
Cross comes to his senses and believes it is his fault lavender was killed because he was too busy obsessing over a girl that didn’t even romantically love him. He decides to burn the
Martha had a big effect on Jimmy cross 's during his adventure in Vietnam. “Jimmy Cross 's had loved Martha more than his man , and as a consequence lavender was dead now and this was something he had to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war and life.” Martha was a young lady that Lieutenant Jimmy Cross was obsessed with. It was very possible the distraction of Martha caused lavender to die. Although Martha never loved cross.
The knowledge of ethos, logos, and pathos develops and improves yourself as an analytical reader by recognizing the appeals the author uses throughout their text for the readers. It helps reveal the author’s approach in their writing, such as appealing to the reader’s emotions, setting themselves as an credible and reliable source, or uses facts and data to back up their approach. It develops a deeper understanding of the text and the author’s way of addressing the audience. The things they carry are both physical and emotional burdens that weigh them down. O’Brien repeats the weight of each physical item they carry: “for a total weight of nearly 18 pounds...the M-60, which weighed 23 pounds...starlight scope, which weighed 6.3 pounds…” (page
