The Things They Carried Courage Analysis

Acts Of Courage

Courage is the ability to try something not easy for one’s self. According to the Oxford Dictionary, courage is “The ability to do something that frightens one; bravery”. The theme of ‘courage and what courage brings’ was embroidered deeply in Tim O’Brien’s book, The Things They Carried. The book talks about the traumatic experiences Tim and his soldier friends had been through during the Vietnamese War. The soldiers in Nam were all showing different acts of courage. Norman Bowker and Lieutenant Cross were presenting a bold front for someone else –Kiowa and Martha. Tim O’Brien and Curt Lemon plucked up their courage for themselves. And all the soldiers in the war overcame their fears for their country. The book focuses on both the act and the result of the soldier’s bravery. As some of their courageous acts end in a glorious victory, some finish with a lugubrious way. No matter how the case of courage eventuates, bravery is bravery. Courage as a value is determined by the reason of your actions, not the outcomes.
Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and Norman Bowker were both showing bravery for someone they care about. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross was a talented yet frivolous soldier. His mind was always in New Jersey, next to Martha. Before he came to war, Cross touched Martha’s knee in the cinema. “And during the final scene, when he touched her knee, she turned and looked at him in a sad, sober way that made him pull his hand back, but he would always remember the feel of