Jimmy Cross Symbolism

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The Things They Carried - Analytical Writing Assignment
First Lutenent Jimmy Cross in Tim O'Brien's story "The Things They Carried" carried many things in the novel. Two things in particular stood out both concrete and symbolic. By utilizing imagery and dramatic irony O'Brien illustrates the things 1st Lt. Jimmy Cross carries.
In the first chapter 1st Lt. Cross carried 2 photographs of a girl that he has been in love with for a long while now, Martha. On one picture "she stood against a brick wall" Jimmy wondered who had taken the picture and assumed it was a boyfriend. "The second photograph had been cliped from the 1968 Mount Sebastian yearbook. It was an action shot –Women's volleyball", this shot was a clear indication that she was a

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Lieutenant Jimmy Cross Character Analysis

through the use of metaphors, symbolism, and repetition to convey the idea of physical and psychological hardships of soldiers during the war. Though the literary device of symbolism, O'Brien portrays the physical and psychological hardships of a soldier. When Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his men were under attack, “[Lieutenant Jimmy Cross] could not bring himself…

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They Things TheyCarried Essay

of symbolism. All the items listed in “The Things They Carried” are directly correlated to the characterization and overall nature of Jimmy Cross, Kiowa, Henry Dobbins, Bob Rat Kiley, Ted Lavender, Mitchell Sanders, and Dave Jensen. O’Brien expresses all of these personalities by illustrating that the thing that each man had brought to the war, what they carry with them, is the primary representation of their self-identity. The first soldier discussed in the short story is Lieutenant Jimmy Cross…

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Symbolism In The Things They Carried

expectation for peace and their disappointment after the Vietnam War. The protagonist, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his men challenged their moral limited to survive in the war. However, they have to face more difficult situation to enter the peaceful life, even though a peaceful life is a common motivation to wait war’s ending. Along with veterans’ hopefulness and hopelessness, Tim O’Brien uses symbolism to demonstrate that there will be a day, which becomes peace; however, the people who suffered the…

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Jimmy Cross Vietnam War

a sensual understanding of what situations would arise in the midsts of war and how a man would cope with the emotions and stress caused by violence. Jimmy Cross expresses his fears through his obsessional unrequited love with a woman named Martha. He confides in his memories of her to console him while in combat. The memories of Martha help Jimmy cope with the war. In the article, “Stressing and Coping Mechanisms”, psychologists Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman scientifically defined coping as…

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Things They Carried

The soldiers held fear through a photograph of a loved one. As O’Brien starts introducing Cross more in depth, he states how “almost everyone humped photographs”.O'Brien also describes that “in his wallet, Lieutenant Cross carried two photographs of Martha” (O’Brien, 4) The photos are considered as the doors to the soul. They are valuable belongings as the quote states they get everyone “humped", because…

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My Childhood Memories: My Black Painted Eastpak Book Bag

In "The Things They Carried," O'Brien employs universal symbolism and allusion/metafiction to convey the literal and figurative burdens of war. He introduces the reader to some of the “things” the soldier had to carry through the jungles of Vietnam. As Robin Silbergleid noticed, O’Brien wants to emphasize the true…

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Symbolism in "The Things They Carried" Essay

essential to understanding the soldiers and their lives during the Vietnam War. At the opening of the story, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross would dig into his foxhole and read the letters while imagining romance with Martha; however, at the end of the story after the death of Ted Lavender, he “crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha’s letters” (402). The inner feelings of Cross would be mistakenly ignored without the help of symbols throughout his travel through Vietnam. O’Brien uses the emotional…

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The Things They Carried Essay

for our main characters. Jimmy Cross wants to be with Martha. He wants to be able to believe that she is in fact, a virgin. "Her legs, he thought, were almost certainly the legs of a virgin, dry and without hair." Jimmy touched that knee on the one date that he went on with Martha, and speaks about what he should have done that night. "He should've carried her up the stairs to her room and tied her to the bed and touched that left knee all night long" . Even in fantasy Jimmy seems to have respect for…

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The Things They Carried Analysis

The first mention of love is in “The Things They Carried,” when Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’ strong infatuation with Martha is revealed. His attitude seems innocent enough as he “want[s] Martha to love him as he loved her” (1). The reciprocity of this pure emotion, illustrated by the repetition of “love,” is quickly shot down as the officer…

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White House Architecture

Architecture is not only about designing and constructing buildings but also about observing and interpreting symbolism within the structure. Just as the Statue of Liberty has a universal meaning of freedom to all immigrants, the White House stands as a strong symbolization of democratic leadership and political freedom. Although, the United States resides as a home to many architectural landmarks such as the Pentagon and the Golden Gate Bridge, the White House is the most recognized due to being…

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