A Detailed Analysis of Lt. Jimmy Cross in The Things They Carried

This essay provides an analysis of Lt. Jimmy Cross, a central character in Tim O'Brien's 'The Things They Carried'. The essay explores the reasons why Lt. Cross is considered a flawed character, highlighting his weak leadership and detachment from his squad. It examines how his flaws, such as receiving his Lieutenant title by decree and lacking a clear purpose, make him a metaphor for the meaninglessness of war. The analysis references academic sources to support its claims, emphasizing the character's inability to effectively fulfill his role, making it difficult for readers to empathize with him. The essay concludes by highlighting how the character's flaws reflect the harsh realities of war and its impact on individuals.

Running head: LT. JIMMY CROSS IN THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
Lt. Jimmy Cross in The Things They Carried
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1LT. JIMMY CROSS IN THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
The Things They Carried is a book by the author Tim O’Brien. The book can be
called as both a novel as well as a collection of short stories from the perspective of the
fictional protagonist of the novel who shares his war experiences with the readers. It is this
protagonist who tells the story of Lt. Jimmy Cross to the readers themselves.
There are a number of reasons why Lt. Jimmy Cross is considered to be a
flawed character by the readers. This is because he is supposed to be the leader of his squad
and lead his squad to victory. However, it is found by the readers that the Lieutenant is a
weak leader himself because all he does is separate himself from his squad for maintaining a
superior position in the army itself. He is a flawed character because he is granted the title of
Lieutenant by decree and did not obtain it himself. He represents a definite lack of purpose as
is evidenced by his actions in the story itself. All these points prove why Lt. Jimmy Cross is a
flawed character in the story itself (Cain, 2018).
The flaws which Lt. Jimmy Cross demonstrates in the story itself is considered to be
realistic by the readers themselves, because it showcased the meaningless of wars in the lives
of the human beings in general (Mahini, 2018). Cross acts as the metaphor to the uselessness
of the wars and it is because of this reason that he fails to demonstrate his ability to fulfil the
role given to him. It is because of this failure in his roles it becomes difficult for the readers
to empathize with the character itself as he failed to give proper instructions to his squad
during the war itself.

2LT. JIMMY CROSS IN THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
Reference List
Cain, J. (2015). The Combat Veteran as a Monstrous Other. In Vergemeinschaftung in Zeiten
der Zombie-Apokalypse (pp. 341-376). Springer VS, Wiesbaden.
Coles, J. (2013). Story-Truth or Happening-Truth?: Perceptions of Beauty in Tim O’Brien’s
The Things They Carried. Beauty in Literature, History, and Culture, 53.
Mahini, R. N. T. N., Barth, E., & Morrow, J. (2018). Tim O’Brien’s “Bad” Vietnam War:
The Things They Carried & Its Historical Perspective. Theory and Practice in
Language Studies, 8(10), 1283-1293.