The Things They Carried Essay Example for Free

The Things They Carried Essay1. Jimmys love for Martha is in a actually real and literal sense in his mind. This love was constructed in part from a brief encounter they had in the past and established and elaborated on, by his loneliness and battle fatigue brought on by the war. I believe he has constructed this relationship with her because of this. Its not entirely clear in the score if his love is genuine or merely a catalyst or distraction to transport him away from the world he now lives in, where there is no love or morality only death, pain, and destruction. 2. Jimmy seems to mostly think of Martha when he is feeling alone, when things have become still, or the war has become likewise ofttimes and he has to escape. This is why when his platoon member is in the tunnel, he thinks of her because he knows the place he is in and the danger he could face. It all becomes too much and Jimmy needs to escape for a time.3. Ted Lavenders death could be described as a result of ca relessness. Maybe in the narrative he is described of being fearful to the point he was self medicating to numb himself to the reality that surrounded him. On the other hand later in the story the cause eliminated the event of in times of war men will sometimes do anything escape, maybe in some appreciate Ted was inviting death as means of relief.4. I believe Jimmy uses this excuse to justify actions and behavior of ordinary men and sometimes even boys place an extraordinary and incredibly stressful situations. It excuses him because he falls into the same category of everyone else in the same situation. There are times when men disregardless of differences can come together because they all understand a common thread. On the other hand Jimmys ranking of Lieutenant places him in a position of leadership and the tie that holds and protects the lives of other and must disassociate himself from excuses to do this.5. The soldiers make jokes about the war to minimalize what is happe ning. If you can laugh about something it cannot be that bad. It is also a form of comradely and escapes.6. The author uses and develops the idea and descriptions of weights in this story to convey to the reader the burden both literal and psychological the soldiers had to endure. Because the author goes into such great detail illustrating to the reader you can almost feel it upon yourself.7. Jimmy sacrifices his heart at first for one sided love then his barter as a leader and protector of his men. I think he does this because he is human and looking for the same thing everyone else is, a sense of star sign and normalcy.8. Jimmy changes in the end of the story by letting go of something that had been weighting him down, pretends to see the love of someone who did not live him back, and has accepted the fact of this situation. It seems he has lost his escape in loving Martha but has gained a sense of closure and will probably help him save his sanity and allow for him to be a bet ter soldier and leader.9. I think the war will seem more real to jimmy now because he is tout ensemble immersed in it. He no longer has that place he can go to, to escape. Thinking of Martha and pleasant things and times surrounding her allowed him to be saved from the customary stresses tragedies, dehumanizations, and hell of the world of war all around him.