Lieutenant Jimmy Cross Character Analysis: The Things They Carried

Introduction: The Things Soldiers Carry

The Things They Carried is the first in a series of interconnected short stories depicting soldiers' lives during wartime. The stories are based on author Tim O'Brien's own experience with war, and his own character sometimes appears within the writings. The central short story revolves around a platoon of soldiers fighting in Vietnam and the things they carried — not only their physical possessions, but also what they carry in their minds.

O'Brien begins his narration by simply and plainly presenting the material things the soldiers carry: supplies, weapons, bandages, and medicines. Each character carries those things that define his role within the platoon. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, the leader of the platoon, carries maps, compasses, and the responsibility for his men's safety. Medic Rat Kiley carries medical supplies, the responsibility for the platoon's health, and the duty to aid the wounded. Each carried item is objectively presented and weighed so as to emphasize how much it burdens the carrier. "The weapon weighed 7.5 pounds unloaded, 8.2 pounds with its full 20-round magazine. The riflemen carried anywhere from 12 to 20 magazines…adding on another 8.4 pounds at minimum, 14 pounds at maximum." (O'Brien)

Aside from military items, each soldier's backpack also contains things that define his individuality and pre-war existence. Sentimental Lieutenant Cross carries pictures, letters, and a pebble from Martha; religious Kiowa carries a Bible from his father; and nervous Ted Lavender carries marijuana and tranquilizers. In addition to the military and personal items they possess, the soldiers carry the burden of their loves, desires, hopes, aspirations, fears, hatreds, and desperations. These are the things that define each soldier's essence, build up his character, and reveal his true self.

Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried depicts Jimmy Cross's journey from boyhood to manhood and reveals a character marked by youth's naivety, unrequited love, war, death, and the feeling of guilt.

Jimmy Cross and His Fellow Soldiers

Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is the central character in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. He is the leader of a small group of soldiers fighting in Vietnam. Jimmy is similar in many ways to his fellow men, but he also possesses some unique features.

The common features he shares with other soldiers concern his young age, his lack of experience, and his misinterpretation of the war. Most of the soldiers are young men — boys in their late adolescence or barely past twenty. When these young soldiers enrolled, they had no real idea of what awaited them behind enemy lines. Lieutenant Cross fits this description perfectly.

He is a twenty-two-year-old sophomore at university, and he is persuaded to join the army by the modest benefits on offer and by the fact that most of his friends and colleagues were enlisting. He has no genuine interest in the war, and numerous scenes in the short story reveal his lack of dedication. For instance, he frequently stops his duties to engage in daydreaming — a habit that would later lead to disastrous outcomes.

Because he has somewhat more formal education than many of the other soldiers, Jimmy Cross is named lieutenant of the Alpha Company. Among the first details O'Brien presents about the character, the reader learns that "as the first lieutenant and platoon leader, Jimmy Cross carried a compass, maps, code books, binoculars, and a .45-caliber pistol that weighed 2.9 pounds fully loaded." (O'Brien) But aside from these material things, Cross also carries the responsibility of keeping his men safe — a duty he does not take sufficiently seriously.

The rest of the soldiers likewise carry baggage, both military and emotional. If in the beginning they regard the war as an adventure and the things they carry do not trouble them greatly, by the end their sole desire is to be relieved of the burden of everything they haul. The soldiers dream of the day they will no longer have to carry their heavy packs and their desperation. They dream of boarding an airplane and "falling higher and higher" (O'Brien), finally released from the weight that has hurt them so deeply.

Differences Between Jimmy Cross and the Other Soldiers

The baggage each soldier carries is an element that differentiates the lieutenant from the rest of the platoon — and, indeed, differentiates all the soldiers from one another. The things they carried reveal each soldier's personality and fears. O'Brien draws the connection explicitly: "Henry Dobbins, who was a big man, carried extra rations […]. Dave Jensen, who practiced field hygiene, carried a toothbrush, dental floss, and several hotel-sized bars of soap […] Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers until he was shot in the head. Dave Jensen carried three pairs of socks and a can of Dr. Scholl's foot powder as a precaution against trench foot. Mitchell Sanders, the RTO, carried condoms. Norman Bowker carried a diary. Rat Kiley carried comic books. Kiowa, a devout Baptist, carried an illustrated New Testament that had been presented to him by his father. As a hedge against bad times, however, Kiowa also carried his grandmother's distrust of the white man, his grandfather's old hunting hatchet. Necessity." (O'Brien)

Jimmy Cross carried the military supplies required of a lieutenant, supplies that brought with them the responsibility of protecting his men. However, Jimmy did not invest sufficient energy in that direction. He was young and inexperienced, he had never witnessed war before, and he did not fully understand its consequences or the magnitude of his own actions and responsibilities. As a result, he willingly neglected his duties. Jimmy preferred to spend his time dreaming of Martha, a college student majoring in English. Martha's memory was sustained by two photographs, a lucky pebble he kept in his mouth, and her letters. These are the things Jimmy carried, and they reminded him of home. They also revealed his sensitive side — his feelings and his emotions.

Conclusion: From Boyhood to Manhood

The misperception of war, unrequited love, the death of a fellow soldier, and the guilt that follows are the four major elements that chart the hero's path from young and sensitive Jimmy Cross to the hardened Lieutenant Cross. Together, these forces illuminate O'Brien's broader meditation on what soldiers carry — not merely in their packs, but in their minds and hearts — and the heavy, often irreversible cost of coming of age in the midst of war.

References

O'Brien, T. The Things They Carried. Broadway, December 29, 1998.

Nielson, J. Warring Fictions: American Literary Culture and the Vietnam War Narrative. University Press of Mississippi, December 1998.

Talbott, J. E. "Soldiers, Psychiatrists and Combat Trauma." Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Volume 27, Number 3, 1997.