Jimmy cross the things they carried. Jimmy Cross in The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien 2022-10-10

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Jimmy Cross is a character in Tim O'Brien's book "The Things They Carried," which is a collection of interconnected short stories that follow a group of soldiers during the Vietnam War. Jimmy Cross is the lieutenant of the group and is described as being inexperienced and unsure of himself as a leader.

One of the most prominent themes in "The Things They Carried" is the idea of the things that soldiers carry with them, both physically and emotionally. For Jimmy Cross, this includes his platoon's equipment, his own personal belongings, and the weight of his responsibilities as a leader.

One of the things that Jimmy Cross carries with him is a photograph of a woman named Martha, who he is in love with but has never met. This photograph serves as a reminder of the life he left behind and the love that he is fighting for. However, it also serves as a distraction for Jimmy Cross and hinders his ability to fully focus on the tasks at hand, as he is constantly thinking about Martha and what could have been.

Another thing that Jimmy Cross carries is the guilt and responsibility he feels for the death of one of his soldiers, Ted Lavender. Lavender is shot and killed while on a mission, and Jimmy Cross believes that it is his fault for not being more attentive and focused on the task at hand. This guilt weighs heavily on him and causes him to question his ability as a leader.

Despite these challenges, Jimmy Cross is able to find some solace in the bonds he forms with his fellow soldiers. He learns to rely on them and to trust in their abilities, and in turn, they come to respect him as a leader.

In conclusion, Jimmy Cross is a complex and layered character in "The Things They Carried," and his struggles and emotions are representative of the experiences of many soldiers during the Vietnam War. The things he carries with him, both physical and emotional, shape his experiences and ultimately his growth as a person.

Jimmy Cross is a character in Tim O'Brien's novel "The Things They Carried," which is a collection of interconnected short stories about the experiences of a group of soldiers during the Vietnam War. Jimmy Cross is a lieutenant in the army and the leader of his unit. He is a complex and troubled character who is grappling with the weight of responsibility that comes with being a leader, as well as the emotional turmoil of being in a war zone.

Throughout the novel, Jimmy Cross is depicted as a thoughtful and introspective individual who is deeply affected by the violence and death that he witnesses on a daily basis. He is haunted by the memory of a soldier in his unit named Ted Lavender, who was killed by enemy fire, and he feels a deep sense of guilt and grief over his death. Cross also carries a number of physical objects with him, including a diary in which he writes about his thoughts and feelings, as well as photographs of a woman named Martha, who he is in love with but has never met.

Despite his introspection and sensitivity, Jimmy Cross is also shown to be deeply conflicted and unsure of his role as a leader. He struggles with the decision-making required of his position and often feels overwhelmed by the demands placed on him. This is particularly evident in the story "The Things They Carried," in which Cross is forced to confront the reality of his own limitations and the impact of his actions on his soldiers.

Ultimately, Jimmy Cross's journey in "The Things They Carried" is one of self-discovery and growth. He learns to confront his own fears and doubts, and to embrace his own humanity in the face of the horrors of war. Through his struggles and struggles of the other soldiers, the novel suggests that the true weight of war is not the physical objects that soldiers carry, but rather the emotional and psychological baggage that they bear.

Jimmy Cross In The Things They Carried

jimmy cross the things they carried

Do me a favor, though. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor. Bowker insists that he be quiet. Azar doesn't know any other way to deal with death than to make a joke of it. Although Jimmy has killed a man from his repetitive thoughts I felt it was almost necessary for him, war is a miserable thing and what kept him going was the thoughts of Martha.

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The Things They Carried In the Field Summary & Analysis

jimmy cross the things they carried

If a mission seemed especially hazardous, or if it involved a place they knew to be bad, they carried everything they could. He wanted to know her. A dark theater, he remembered, and the movie was Bonnie and Clyde, and Martha wore a tweed skirt, and during the final scene, when he touched her knee, she turned and looked at him in a sad, sober way that made him pull his hand back , but he would always remember the feel of the tweed skirt and the knee beneath it and the sound of the gunfire that killed Bonnie and Clyde, how embarrassing it was, how slow and oppressive. This same event, however, is told differently in order to help him cope with the emotional pain of war. Afterward, when the firing ended, they would blink and peek up.

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Jimmy Cross In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

jimmy cross the things they carried

For a few moments he considered asking her to his room, but instead he laughed and told her how back in college he'd almost done something very brave. You win some, you lose some, said Mitchell Sanders, and sometimes you settle for a rain check. They all carried ghosts. With its headphones and big sensing plate, the equipment was a stress on the lower back and shoulders , awkward to handle, often useless because of the shrapnel in the earth, but they carried it anyway, partly for safety, partly for the illusion of safety. They took up what others could no longer bear. For instance, they are vexed from working at a low paying job or pursuing a higher education.

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Jimmy Cross in The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

jimmy cross the things they carried

As the war moves on, the letters shift in their symbolism for Cross. To cope with his war burden, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross clings to the memory and to the idea of Martha in any way he can, including tasting the envelope flaps of her letters knowing that her tongue has been there and keeping a small pebble in his mouth that she sent to him from a beach back home. Like what you just read? He was now determined to perform his duties firmly and without negligence. Over the course of the novel, Cross takes on different psychological weights that he carries. Unknown date and photographer. Would they have the courage to drag you out? We can start to think through those questions by looking back further than the typescript, to the magazine versions of several chapters that appeared before the book. Jimmy Cross can't tell who it is.

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The textual “truth” behind Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried

jimmy cross the things they carried

They carried the land itself—Vietnam, the place, the soil—a powdery orange-red dust that covered their boots and fatigues and faces. They marched until dusk, then dug their holes, and that night Kiowa kept explaining how you had to be there, how fast it was, how the poor guy just dropped like so much concrete. She often quoted lines of poetry; she never mentioned the war, except to say, Jimmy, take care of yourself. In this story we are introduced to First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his platoon. In the first chapter, the author catalogs physical items like weapons, water, and medical gear. I never ran way to the Rainy River.

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Jimmy Cross in The Things They Carried

jimmy cross the things they carried

What they carried varied by mission. Jensen asks him how, but Dobbins doesn't answer. He would confiscate the remainder of Lavender's dope. Jimmy Cross can be viewed as a Christ figure. They carry letters, bags, and guns.

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The Things They Carried: Jimmy Cross

jimmy cross the things they carried

They would get their shit together, and keep it together, and maintain it neatly and in good working order. He certainly does not focus on the historical events or facts. First, his initials are J. Cross is a reluctant leader and often feels guilty for the deaths of his men. As PFC s or Spec 4s, most of them were common grunts and carried the standard M-16 gas-operated assault rifle. No, I guess not, Bowker said. Then the field started to explode around them.

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Lieutenant Jimmy Cross—The Things They Carried: Guilty Leader

jimmy cross the things they carried

First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is one of the young soldiers featured in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. Right then, he thought, he should've done something brave. The boy wore black shorts and sandals. A single round weighed 10 ounces. Her legs, he thought, were almost certainly the legs of a virgin, dry and without hair, the left knee cocked and carrying her entire weight, which was just over 100 pounds. The young soldier seems panicked and doesn't look up when Jimmy Cross gets to him. The war also depicts the inhumanity involved in that, many commit evils and crimes in the name of war.

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