When thinking about "The Things They Carried" by O'Brien, the idea of the Christ motif comes to mind. The Christ motif is often used in literature. It is the symbolic retelling of Christ's characteristics through modern literature. Harry Potter can be an example of this with his good vs. evil, snake talking, and his being "chosen" to save the world. What elements do you see in this story which could symbolize biblical imagery? Your answer should be 50 words or more.
Write 100 words about one important theme you recognize in "The Things They Carried."
I dont understand, are those two seperate blog topics.......
ReplyDeleteMrs. robinson, I dont know how to type, so this is hard for me...
ReplyDeleteI do not understand. How does this story relate to anything biblical?
ReplyDeleteI can think of alot of imagery but not biblical. When they put there rain coats down in the fox hole to sit on so they dont get dirty from the mud. The chopper giving them supplies. Their was that time when the guy used the testiment for a pillow one night in the fox hole. I actually liked "The Things They Carried."
ReplyDeleteThe Christ motif appears in the end of the text when Cross is repenting of his sins by ridding himself of Martha. By burning the pictures and letters and discarding the pebble he is purifying himself and therefore is able to become a better leader. This is demonstrated when he confiscates the dope and becomes a harsh, dedicated commander. He is no longer distracted by his sin (Martha) and now can have a better focus on being a leader. The allusion to the bible is the repentance of sin.
ReplyDeleteThe Biblical element in "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien, seems to be a blind like imagery. First Lieutenat Jimmy Cross is blinded from the war by his infactuation with a girl named Martha. In the end he relizes that he must focus on the war instead of Martha, so Jimmy Cross burns the letters freeing him from his blindness caused by Martha.
ReplyDeleteIs this what you are meaning Mrs. Robinson?
In “The Things They Carried,” one mans distraction causes another man’s death. The distractions of memories and desires are noted throughout Tim O’Brien’s story. A young man is focusing on a wanna-be love when one of his fellow soldiers is shot and killed. The death awakens his realization that he needs to focus on the war and not his love. Distraction can led one in many directions, one might find an amazing place that provides a peaceful environment, and one might find themselves in horrid predicament that may kill them or cause them to regret their inability to focus due to distractions.
DeleteJimmy Cross could be viewed as the role of Christ. It shows in how he feels the guilt of his dying men.Jimmy and Christ are not only connected on the mental side of things, but also the symbol of the cross. Jimmy suffers for his men in the war. When Lavender dies he bears the guilt for the others, and doesn't tell anyone till years later. He also sacrifices for the others by burning his pictures and letters from Martha.
ReplyDeleteIn "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien, the story shows how war affects people both mentally and physically. People that go in to war are changed by the cruel and gruesome acts they encounter. A rational thinking man can even be changed by what happens. The physical strain of being in the war is not for the normal human body. Soldiers go through many physical challenges to put their body to the test. After the war is over, the after effect can sometime be worse than the war it’s self. Many soldiers have flashbacks and nightmares of the war, and become paranoid.
DeleteThough one may not think it, the imagery found within "the things they carried" bears great resemblence and indeed parallels the christian ideals of sacrifice, of kinship, and of strength garnered through loss. we see a communial sense of hurt and dispair, as the men lament the death of lavander. The pain is not limited to only one man, though they may accept greater lattitudes of guilt, reflecting the same shared mourning among christ's disciples. they support each other, they pull each other forward in the face of defeat. They behave like a family, though they are not. It is a universal kinship that mimics the regard of the christian god towards all people, all of his children, to his family. It is this idea that drives lieutinant Cross to burn his correspondence with martha, he sacrifices his worldly love of martha to better provide for his men, mirrioring the christian gods sacrifice of his son, so that the world might be bettered.
ReplyDeleteJimmy Cross is a savior-like figure to his platoon in the way that he leads them. The name Cross alludes to an actual cross, because as a cross bears the burdens and deaths of the person dying on the cross, Cross (the character) bears the grief and troubles of his platoon.
ReplyDeleteJimmy Cross assumes the role of Christ in the sense that his men turn to him for assistance in times of distress. Jimmy suffers for his men in the same way Christ suffered for fellow men. Also, Jimmy makes a sacrifice by burning the pictures of Martha. This also exemplifies a Christ complex. Jimmy also bears the pain and guilt that comes along with the death of Tim Lavender. Jimmy even has the same initials. Just a little fun observation.
ReplyDeleteIn this text Jimmy Cross falls into temptation, or his want for Martha. Daydreaming about her, using this as an escape from the war which costs him the life of one of his soldiers. After this he realizes what is more important and rids himself of Martha. In a sense Jimmy repents his sins, purifying himself, and becomes a better leader making the safety of his men his top priority.
ReplyDeleteThe biblical imagery and resemblance is shown in the near end of the story "The Things They Carried." Throughout the story Lieutenant Cross is tempted by Martha and the harsh reality that they are apart. While being apart Cross is obsessed with letters and pictures that Martha sends him, he has uncontrollable lust for this woman. At the end Cross cleanses himself of the sinful lust he has for Martha by burning all the letters and ridding himself of her. Jim Cross uses the burning of the letters to symbol forgetting her and moving on, when you repent the Lord forgives and forgets the sins you commit.
ReplyDeleteAs the leader in the platoon, he some what resmebles Christ, leading his men and keeping them alive. Jimmy Cross's thoughts are poisned by the thoughts and day dreams about Martha. As he thinks of her, he loses track of the actual task and journey ahead. At the end of the story, Jimmy clenses himself of her by burning her letters and casting out all sinful lust, and temptation he felt toward her.
ReplyDeleteThis story "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien shows that each man carries their own burdens. The main character Jimmy Cross carries the burden of being responsible for the lives of all his men, but failing. While daydreaming he loses the life of Tim Lavender. Now Cross will carry around the burden of death, of failure to keep him men safe. Kiowa carries the burden of staying true to his faith and being a good Christian, he carries his bible around as a reminder. The other soldiers have their own burdens as well. Overall, this story is about the burdens the war puts on these men.
ReplyDeleteIn "The Things They Carried" love is proven to be a distraction from more important things in life or of the moment. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross exemplifies this statement when he becomes obsessed with an old love, Martha. Love is an emotion that can either be real or just an infatuation. Thoughts about your love being returned or not can become consuming and take your focus away from what is important at the time. Jim Cross proves this by the daydreams he has about being with Martha when he is in battle. Love is an ever consuming emotion that can conquer your world if you let it.
ReplyDeleteDeath is an important theme in “The Things They Carried” because death is a sign of change. It was the death of Lavender that made Cross a prominent leader. Death was a recurring element in the story. As more people died, the burden that the men carried became heavier and heavier much like our lives when someone leaves us the burden becomes heavy. Death is also a symbol for inheritence as the people inherited the property of the dead. The dope that Lavender had was inherited by all of the troops much like the other equipment that contributed to their burden.
ReplyDeleteIn Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried", isolation is vividly depicted. The mentality of any person can be greatly effected when torn asunder from their view of a normal society. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross exemplifies this phenomenon while leading his men through 60's era Vietnam. Although he had his men with him, he felt alone. Because he was in a foreign environment under stress, his mind always wanders its way back to what he considers home. He is not the only soldier that goes through this. Some of the items the men carry indicate that they’re not mentally in the same place as they are physically. When they feel that detachment from reality, they begin to display signs of isolation on various levels of severity.
ReplyDeleteIn “The Things They Carried” fear of being called a coward seems to be a strong motivation for some of these soldiers. For example, Tim O’Brien describes Ted Lavender as being scared several times throughout this story. Lavender does not come off as being the soldier type, more like the average pot head, but because of his fear of being seen as a weak minded individual, he continues on. Fear also gives them an inclination to have social acceptence, which may seem minute at the time in the midst of death and torture but to these soldiers it’s all they have.
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ReplyDeleteI think Jimmy Cross is like a Christ-like figure to his crew by how he leads them. The name Cross is a symbol to an actual cross, because as a cross he decides to take on the struggles and deaths of the people dying on the cross,or in his crew.
ReplyDeleteIn “The Things They Carried” a lot of the things they do carry with them as they go one this journey are symbolic to who they are. Tim Obrien happens to be carrying letters and pictures of the girl he loves. But in doing so he is greatly distracted from the life at war with his platoon and is risking not only his life but his fellow soldiers lifes as well. When one of his soldiers does finaly get shot and dies he soon awakens and realizes that he can not be focused on her and keep his platoon safe.
ReplyDeleteIt is a hard concept to see the motif or symbolism in relation to religion and something as personal as that. Good job. Don't forget to look at all angles and characters in a story for connections. Motif means repeating throughout, so it can connect on so many levels.
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