The story that meant the most to me in The Things They Carried, was the first story "The Things They Carried". I like this story because its sets a scene of the conditions the foot solders were in. I also like this story because the author uses the physical material that the solders carry as a medium to also show the emotional weight that the solders carry ,as well.
Jimmy Cross is the character that I like and connect to the most. This is mostly because Cross is the leader of his platoon, however he is not sure how to lead. He is always distracted by his love interest and does not care about the war, however he does care about the well-being of his platoon. Cross tends to take the blame for the death of his men and feels disappointed in his leadership.
I would like to point out the structure of the first chapter, I like how the author shows the mental and emotional burden the soldiers endure through the physical objects the men carry.
"It happened to all of them.Afterward, when the firing ended, they would blink and peek up.They would ......It was the burden of being alive." (page 18) I like this passage because of the details the author includes. It puts me in their shoes and gives the feel of a firefight.
I think that one of the qualities of a good leader is that sense of responsibility you outlined, and I also like how the author used the things they carried metaphor to decribe more then physical things.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Tim O'brien does a good job in the first story detailing the physical burden that the soldiers had, which helped him show how much the emotional burdens effected the soliders.
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