Jennifer Baer
Grade 9
Mrs. Villanova
American Literature 1
On Courage, Cowardice, and Masculinity One of the first sights that are thought of on the subject of war is death. More specifically, death caused by other men. In The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, the thoughts of individual American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War are reflected upon, explicitly on what they did and did not execute during the Vietnam War. One of the main themes O’Brien includes is that, “Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to,” (O’Brien 21). This essay will go into detail about the actions and consequences Tim O’Brien, Jimmy Cross, and Norman Bowker decide and how they relate to O’Brien’s theories on responsibility, cowardice, and courage. The first step in the engagement of war is being drafted. In O’Brien’s novel, he includes the story of how he was drafted on a humid afternoon on June 17, 1968. At the age of 21 O’Brien was not prepared to fight a war in which he did not agree with, so he drove north. When he reached the Tip Top Lodge, he met Elroy Berdahl, a quiet 81-year-old bald …show more content…
This is shown through Jimmy Cross’s actions when he feels guilt for allowing men to die on his watch as the First Lieutenant when he decided to camp on the dangerous riverbank. He murmured to himself, “my fault,” (O’Brien 169), because he felt he had the responsibility and duty to make sure they were alive, and fell through with his poor campground choice. In this sense, responsibility is weighed heavily in the hands of Jimmy Cross. However, responsibility is also in the hands of every troop member. They must all hold each other accountable to guard themselves as well as their team in order to successfully carry out their mission during the Vietnam War. Once responsibility falls apart, the consequences are grave, as seen in the example of Kiowa’s death as a result of Jimmy Cross’s poor
Grade 9
Mrs. Villanova
American Literature 1
On Courage, Cowardice, and Masculinity One of the first sights that are thought of on the subject of war is death. More specifically, death caused by other men. In The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, the thoughts of individual American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War are reflected upon, explicitly on what they did and did not execute during the Vietnam War. One of the main themes O’Brien includes is that, “Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to,” (O’Brien 21). This essay will go into detail about the actions and consequences Tim O’Brien, Jimmy Cross, and Norman Bowker decide and how they relate to O’Brien’s theories on responsibility, cowardice, and courage. The first step in the engagement of war is being drafted. In O’Brien’s novel, he includes the story of how he was drafted on a humid afternoon on June 17, 1968. At the age of 21 O’Brien was not prepared to fight a war in which he did not agree with, so he drove north. When he reached the Tip Top Lodge, he met Elroy Berdahl, a quiet 81-year-old bald …show more content…
This is shown through Jimmy Cross’s actions when he feels guilt for allowing men to die on his watch as the First Lieutenant when he decided to camp on the dangerous riverbank. He murmured to himself, “my fault,” (O’Brien 169), because he felt he had the responsibility and duty to make sure they were alive, and fell through with his poor campground choice. In this sense, responsibility is weighed heavily in the hands of Jimmy Cross. However, responsibility is also in the hands of every troop member. They must all hold each other accountable to guard themselves as well as their team in order to successfully carry out their mission during the Vietnam War. Once responsibility falls apart, the consequences are grave, as seen in the example of Kiowa’s death as a result of Jimmy Cross’s poor