What does Martha symbolize in The Things They Carried?
What does Martha symbolize in The Things They Carried?
In “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, Martha to Cross represents an idealized version of the life he has left behind at home. Fantasizing about her allows him to at least partially shut out the horrible realities of war that are all around him.
What does the act of burning Martha’s letters represent?
3) In the title story of the book, why does Lt. Cross burn Martha’s letters? After Ted Lavender is killed, Cross feels deeply guilty that he was not able to protect him, and burns Martha’s letters and photo as way of trying to apologize and make things right.
What happened to Martha in The Things They Carried?
It turns out that after Cross burned the first one, Martha gave him a new one after running into him at a college reunion. Here’s what happened: Cross and Martha spend almost an entire day together. Martha hasn’t married, and is now a Lutheran missionary who has done work in Ethiopia and Guatemala.
What is the significance of the pebble that Martha sends Jimmy in The Things They Carried?
The pebble in The Things They Carried symbolizes Martha, a woman who would never love Lt. Cross the same way he loved her, a complex relationship, and an undying symbol of love and affection that can never be destroyed. The pebble has a powerful significance in the life of Lt. Jimmy Cross.
What does throwing away the good luck Pebble symbolize?
What does throwing away the good luck pebble symbolize? The good-luck pebble being thrown away, symbolizes Jimmy acceptance of getting rid of Martha. “He would not tolerate laxity. He would show strength, distancing himself.”
Does Martha love Jimmy?
The love interest of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. They went on a single date in college. She sent him letters in the war and a pebble for good luck. She never marries and spends her time during and after the war abroad, working as a nurse.
In what sense does Jimmy Love Martha?
In what sense does Jimmy love Martha? why does he construct this elaborate, mostly fictional, relationship with her: what does he get out of it? Jimmy loves Martha in all ways. He constructs this elaborate, fictional, relationship with her because it makes the war easier.
Why is Jimmy so concerned with Martha’s virginity?
He loves her because of his intrinsic longing for feminine affection. Yet, he hates her because he knows that his obsession with her virginity is pointless; it is nothing but a cynical attempt on his part to take his mind off the horrors of war.
What does rat say are the similarities between Mary Anne and all of them?
What does Rat say are the similarities between Mary Ann and all of them? He says that she is courageous like all of them. What did Mary Anne begin to do when casualties came in? To clip an artery and pump up a plastic splint and shoot morphine.
What chapter does Rat Kiley shoot himself?
TTTC Chapter 21 Questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How did Rat Kiley get out of active duty in Vietnam? | By shooting himself in the foot. |
What does Kiley do to get himself out of the war?
This fear drives him to risk showing his cowardice—his fellow soldiers know that his wound is self-inflicted, and they know that fear drove him to do it. In the end, Kiley decides to give himself a minor wound instead of facing the decision of killing or being killed.
Why did Rat Kiley carry comic books?
Because Rat carries death, he also must carry stolen innocence due to the fact that he longer possesses his own. The comic books Rat carries show that he is not grown up, not mature, and not a man. He enjoys them because he is still a boy and because he is clinging to the role he should still be filling.
What did Ted Lavender carry in the things they carried?
Ted Lavender (“who was scared”) carries tranquilizers. Mitchell Sanders carries condoms. The emphasis is on Ted Lavender, the scared one, who carried tranquilizers. Even though these men had things they had to carry, they elected to carry more.
What did Tim O’Brien carry emotionally?
Emotional aspect: He carries jealousy for Martha. He keeps wondering whether Martha has other boyfriends or if she’s a virgin. He cannot help his emotions because he is so in love with her. He carries his love for Martha and his memories of her.
Why did Ted Lavender carry tranquilizers?
In The Things They Carried, Ted Lavender carried tranquilizers before he was shot because he needed them to calm his fears. Afraid of being killed at any moment, the only way he could handle the trauma of war was by taking one kind of drug or another.