A human beings’ ability to solve problems differ from one person to another. When it comes to war, humans will either fight or flee; encountering such situations can greatly alter their way of life. Tim O 'Brien 's “The Things They Carried” depict soldiers participating in the Vietnam War and the struggles that they have to endure. The major theme of “The Things They Carried” is that physical and emotional weakness will always prevail no matter how strong a person is. A person’s rank in a war can ultimately affect the path of the soldiers; one such person is first lieutenant Jimmy Cross. His responsibility is to lead his men to war and aid them on their missions. Despite his occupation he decides to wander off and reminiscence about a colleague
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His weakness is emotionally shown and physically shown; the letters sent from Martha that he carries around is a sign of weakness when it comes to war. The mentality that a soldier needs to grow accustomed to is that they need to kill or be killed. Instead of having that sort of mindset, “He would imagine romantic camping trips into the White Mountains in New Hampshire. He would sometimes taste the envelope flaps, knowing her tongue had been there” (Brien, 344). An element of fiction that enforces this theme is the type of character that Jimmy Cross undertakes; the Dynamic type of character. Cross is a dynamic character that undergoes a change in personality and he tries to get rid of his weakness. As he continues to venture on he encounters the atrocities of war which make him realize the flaw that he has. Cross tries his best to make up for Lavender 's death as he “crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha’s letters” (Brien, 357). He even goes so far as to throw away his is humanly desires and become a leader that “would not tolerate laxity,” (Brien, 358) and “dispense with love” (Brien, 358). However, try as he may he is still burdened with his emotional weakness when the narrator states, “Besides, the letters were in his head. And even
His weakness is emotionally shown and physically shown; the letters sent from Martha that he carries around is a sign of weakness when it comes to war. The mentality that a soldier needs to grow accustomed to is that they need to kill or be killed. Instead of having that sort of mindset, “He would imagine romantic camping trips into the White Mountains in New Hampshire. He would sometimes taste the envelope flaps, knowing her tongue had been there” (Brien, 344). An element of fiction that enforces this theme is the type of character that Jimmy Cross undertakes; the Dynamic type of character. Cross is a dynamic character that undergoes a change in personality and he tries to get rid of his weakness. As he continues to venture on he encounters the atrocities of war which make him realize the flaw that he has. Cross tries his best to make up for Lavender 's death as he “crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha’s letters” (Brien, 357). He even goes so far as to throw away his is humanly desires and become a leader that “would not tolerate laxity,” (Brien, 358) and “dispense with love” (Brien, 358). However, try as he may he is still burdened with his emotional weakness when the narrator states, “Besides, the letters were in his head. And even