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Powerful Motivator In The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

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Death Is a Powerful Motivator In “The Things They Carried”, Tim O’Brien, the author, portrays his own experience in the Vietnam War. Although O’Brien fabricated some of the stories and exaggerated some of the parts, the main idea O’Brien wished to display is present. He wanted to allow the reader a view of the war along with the physical burdens and emotional burdens the soldiers carried with them. These burdens effected the soldiers and helped define them as people. This idea resonates when O’Brien wrote about First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, the leader of Alpha Company. Jimmy Cross changes as a person and as a leader due to the internal conflict over the death of one of his soldiers. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is introduced into the story …show more content…

While the Lieutenant was daydreaming about Martha, Ted Lavender, a soldier of Alpha Company, was killed by a gunshot to the head on his way back from relieving himself. Jimmy blamed himself for the man’s death. He blamed himself because he was distracted with thoughts of Martha instead of his own soldiers. “He loved her more than anything, more than his men, and now Ted Lavender was dead because her loved her so much and could not stop thinking about her, (O’Brien, 96).” After grieving over the soldier’s death, Jimmy decided that he would change. He decided to burn Martha’s letters and photographs, but he realized that he could not burn away the blame, (O’Brien, 103). Regardless of how much he loved her, the new Jimmy Cross would not care more about a girl than his own men ever …show more content…

He reflected on his actions and understood that he had let his men down. He knew that nothing he could ever do would bring Ted Lavender back, but he believed that he had to become a better officer for the sake of his men. He decided to enforce strict field discipline, flank security, and clean weapons in an attempt to keep his men safer, (O’Brien, 104). Although he knew that his new policies would not be well-received, he decided to do them regardless because it was his obligation “not to be loved but to lead, (O’Brien, 104).” Jimmy Cross became a different kind of leader due to his failure to keep Ted Lavender

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