Major Fiction Essay

Intro to Literature

Major Fiction Essay

In this essay I will be analyzing the character of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross from the short story "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien. I will be covering a brief summary of the story, as well as answering the question of whether Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is considered a Christ figure?

"The Things They Carried" is the first story in a book written by author Tim O'Brien. In this story Tim O'Brien introduces the group of people to you that are in Lieutenant Crosses Platoon. The group of soldiers makes up the Alpha Company that Lieutenant Jimmy Cross will be leading through the Vietnam War. The narrator of the story Tim O'Brien, he is one of the soldiers in the platoon. O'Brien distinguishes the soldiers from one another by describing the items that they carry.

O'Brien list all the physical and emotional things that the fellow soldiers in the platoon carry. All of his platoon mates carry basic military goods and personal items. For example things like provisions, ammunition and special ponchos so they could be wrapped if one happened to die venturing through the war. O'Brien mentions some of the slang they use in the army for carrying goods to them this would be called "humping". O'Brien mentions that beside carrying the basic necessities the military says they need to survive through the war, all of the men "hump" different personal things to keep them in touch with there world at home.

One of the soldiers wears his girlfriend's stockings around his neck, while another carries a bible; another carries around a slingshot, another comic books and another condoms. Lieutenant Cross carries letters from a woman from his college back home her name was Martha. Cross is very much in love with her but she does not have the same feelings back. Martha sends him a pebble in the mail that reminded her of him, Lieutenant Cross keeps that pebble in his mouth so he can imagine her tongue touching his. O'Brien then begins to point out that Lieutenant Cross also carries responsibility for the lives of all his men in the platoon. Cross considers this a very heavy burden on his shoulders.

The first casualty of war this company suffers is a soldier by the name of Ted Lavender. Lavender went to relieve himself while the other soldiers were blowing up a tunnel and was shot dead on his way back. Lieutenant Cross is hit very hard by Lavenders death. He essentially blames himself for the death because he is so wrapped up in his thoughts of Martha that he does not focus on taking proper precautions and by doing this caused Lavenders death. The morning after Lavender was killed Cross decides to burn the letters and pictures he received from Martha so that he could focus on the platoon more and become more of a leader.

Lieutenant Jimmy Cross was the main character of this short story. LT. Cross is a young college student who is no older than twenty-four years old who is now the commanding officer of Alpha Company during the Vietnam War. He is still in still obsessed with the girl he loves back in his home state of New Jersey and his preoccupation with her distracts him from his duties as a Lieutenant and with this lead to casualties of his solders. These casualties leave him with a huge amount of guilt on his soldiers.

I feel that Jimmy Cross's character is the complete image of the effects of to much responsibility has on a person who is too immature to handle it. LT. Cross is young and still in college as well as being caught up in a battle for a women's love that he will never obtain. Then to be put into a roll of leading a platoon of men through a war fought in a foreign country full of people who will stop at nothing to kill them. LT. Cross is too young and caught up with his obsession to even care about the war as well as having absolutely no desire to be a team leader. This results in his consistent lack of judgment and his horrible leading skills, which causes him to be unsure in everything he does.

Cross's mindset is very fragile; you can see this when his soldier Ted Lavender dies. Right before Lavender is killed, lieutenant