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Lieutenant Jimmy Cross The Thing They Carried

1179 Words5 Pages

Tabitha Ware
Eng-1020-121328
Essay 1
March 9nd, 2015
Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and His One-Sided Love Story
In author William Timothy O’Brien’s short story “The Thing They Carried” published in 1990, a one-sided love story is told about a man (the protagonist), a First Lieutenant named Jimmy Cross. Lieutenant Cross feeds off of letters he receives from a young college student back at home, a very static character named Martha. This story proves the effect that love can have on a lonely, tired and scared soldier, and the ways that love can sometimes blind someone from their priorities. Lieutenant Cross is putting all of his commitment as a leader to the back of his mind while making Martha his limelight.
O’Brien includes a lot of background information …show more content…

He wondered if she had boyfriends, he knew she did. How could she not? She is beautiful. He stared at her pictures imagining if she was a virgin, she had to be, she is so pure and full of innocence. O’Brien goes into detail about how Lieutenant started imaging scenes of them and acting them out in his head, especially during the lonely and cold nights. “More than anything, he wanted Martha to love him as he loved her, but the letters were mostly chatty, elusive on the matter of love” (O’Brien, Page 101). Readers could say that Lieutenant Cross has become reckless and unfocused to his duty as a soldier. His mind drifts off at the thought of being with Martha back at home. He uses the infatuation of her to take his mind completely away from where he is, which seems okay, but not when you have other lives to protect. O'Brien describes the things that these soldiers carry with them; such as books, letters, possessions from home, their heavy machinery, weapons, sleeping bags, etc. However, not only were they carrying physical things, they were carrying extremely heavy emotions. Fear, longing, anticipation, worry and more than the average person can imagine. “They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried” …show more content…

Especially when you have other lives in your hands. Having someone to talk to, to tell you about the real world and keep you updated on things while you are fighting for your country is so special, but should not have been taken to the extent that Lieutenant Cross took it to. Instead of being so wrapped up in the fantasy of being with Martha, he could have handled it differently by telling her how he truly feels before he went away, or having her at least make it clear that they will never be anything more than

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