Part 1- Tim O’Brien, in the novel, The Things They Carried , describes all of the objects that the soldiers carried during the war. The men carried necessities, such as knives, guns, helmets, food and water. They also carried more personal items, such as “love” letters, drugs/cigarettes, contraceptives and the New Testament. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from Martha, a girl he was in love with. On April 16th, Lieutenant Cross was imagining and fantasizing about Martha when Ted Lavender was shot in the head while walking back from using the restroom. He blames himself and Martha for Lavender’s death and burns every letter and picture that Martha had sent him while he was in Vietnam. (116 words)
Part 2- “He felt shame. He hated himself. He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence Lavender was now dead, and this was something that he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war”, (16). A theme that I had noticed in Chapter 1 was that past experiences of war completely change a person. This passage was an example of the theme because Cross was caring, but after Lavender was killed he decided that he needed to be more like a soldier; distance himself and be more strict with his men. He decided that he couldn’t care anymore. This passage appeals to pathos because of the emotion and pain that Cross is feeling. The author used something that everyone has gone through at one point- doing something they regret and feeling guilty about their actions. This passage evokes the emotion of the readers because it is relatable. “Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers… Until he was shot, Ted Lavender 6 or 7 ounces of premium dope, which for him was a necessity”, (2-3). This passage is also an example of how war changes a person. This quote shows how Ted Lavender was so scared and anxious because of his experiences during the Vietnam War. He needed to take/do drugs in order to be in a decent mindset while he was in Vietnam. This passage appeals to the emotion of the readers because it shows how much trauma soldiers go through. It might make readers feel very grateful that the people who are in the military put their mental, physical and emotional health on the line in order to fight for the citizens of their country. Chapter 2: Love Part 1- In the chapter “Love”, Tim O’Brien writes about many years after the war, when Jimmy Cross came to visit him in Massachusetts. They reflected on their lives during the war and looked at old photographs taken in Vietnam. While looking at a picture of Ted Lavender, Jimmy tells Tim that he’s never forgiven himself for Ted’s death. Jimmy also told Tim about how he and Martha got together to catch up during their college reunion. He still loved her, and when he told her that, she didn’t respond. She ended up giving Jimmy a new picture of her playing volleyball, telling him to not burn that one. Tim says that he wants to write a book about their war experiences, and Jimmy agrees, wanting Martha to love him when she reads the story. He asks Ted to make him seem like a brave hero, and to not include anything about Ted’s death. Tim told Jimmy he wouldn’t. (151 words). Part 2- “... Jimmy rubbed his eyes and said he’d never forgiven himself for Lavender’s …show more content…
After graduating college Tim received his draft for the Vietnam war, but he didn’t want to fight and he didn’t like the idea of war or what it caused. He contemplated fleeing the country, trying to find a way of getting out of being drafted to Vietnam. One day, the stress got to be too much for him and he snapped and took off. He drives along the Rainy River, and stays at the Tip Top Lodge, where he spends time with Elroy Berdahl. On one of their fishing trips, they stop in Canadian territory, and O’Brien breaks down trying to decide whether to leave or stay. He ultimately decides to stay and join the war out of the embarrassment of not going. (144