First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross Character Analysis

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In Tim O'Brien’s story, “The Things They Carried” First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is in Vietnam with his platoon fighting a war but he has some memories of his love Martha a girl from his college in New Jersey. Jimmy Cross carries her letters, two photographs, and one good luck pebble in his mouth. But letters from Martha were not love letters and he hopes someday she will write a love letter to him. The narrator, Tim O'Brien tells in his story about every soldier in platoon carries different things as their need and priorities. As the leader Jimmy Cross carries maps, compasses and responsibilities of his men’s lives; however he was hardly focusing on his duties. One of the soldiers gets shot on the way going to the bathroom then Cross cry in his foxhole and next morning burns. Martha pictures and letters and reminds himself his job not to love but to lead. The story “The Things They Carried” tell about soldiers that they carried emotional and physical burden and…show more content…
In a war field he could not confront the tension between fantasy and reality. He was only thinking about Martha instead of focusing in war field. During the war, Vietnam land was minded and booby-trapped so that reminds him the time with Martha. “He would imagine romantic camping trips into the white mountain in New Hampshire”. That describe the land where is fighting and a time with Martha that he spend was very different great, and romantic and he still remember everything. “He would sometime taste the envelope flaps, knowing her tongue had been there” that leads the readers to understand his love about Martha. He wanted the same response from Martha in her letters for him. In letters Martha never talk about war, only says “Jimmy take care of yourself” that shows the readers her love for Jimmy, and he want him to be save. The “good luck pebble” from Martha symbolize that best wishes for success in war for
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