Lieutenant Jimmy Cross In The Things They Carried

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is a collection of stories devoted to the events taking place in Vietnam. The first story of the same name The Things They Carried is an introduction to the context of the whole book. In this specific story, the author presents the main characters of the book with the help of different items they carry with them through these events. What author used as a stylistic device is the fact that things the characters carry actually become symbolical and even metaphorical when illustrating their owners. In my opinion, the most vibrant, expressive and memorable characters of the story are Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and Ted Lavender, whose characters and carried things I am going to compare. Comparison of these characters …show more content…
These are the letters from her in which she shares different thoughts with Lieutenant Cross as well as two pictures and a pebble which she also sent in one of her letters. These things clearly illustrate that Jimmy Cross is in love with Martha. We know that he always thinks about her from the plot. However, we can also see that his attitude for her is not entirely univocal. So, he is a round character. On the one hand, the lieutenant is insanely romantic, sentimental and even sensitive when dreaming about Martha. On the other hand, he is quite passionate and sensual and interested in whether she is a virgin. In addition, the most illustrative, as for me, are not the things that Cross carries, but the way he treats them. And in this context it his ambiguous attitude to Martha becomes visible. For example, all the letters of her he carefully wraps to keep them safe as long as possible so that he could read them with a great tenderness and care. At the same time, he touches the envelope with the mouth, where her tongue probably was so that to feel some physical unity with her. Generally, lieutenant pays a lot of attention to his specific sensations as when he sucks a pebble in your mouth. In spite of this dreamy image, he is still the principal of their group. So, he also carries binoculars, code books, maps and a pistol which are all the things which might be highly …show more content…
These are tranquilizers, a huge portion of dope, heavier ammunition, and a starlight scope. Tranquilizers and dope definitely mean that Ted Lavender is not actually psychologically stable. In addition, he is terrified with the war. So, he is not able to fully take care of himself and his health. However, he also has difficulties in physical safety of, so he needs a starlight scope and bigger ammunition. In comparison to Cross who is lost in his dreams about a woman, Lavender is concerned too intensively about the reality and different events which might take place during the war. I suggest that he has no hobbies or personal life as he did not have any things like that with him. This must show him as an introverted and possible egocentric person. Therefore, this character seems to be a direct opposite to Jimmy Cross and his personal traits revealed through the things that he