Responsibility in Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried Essay Sample

Tim O’Brien’s novel The Things They Carried is a product of developed guilt within each character. The soldiers involved with war had little to no conscience of their actions. The objective of war is deciding to kill or not, and the consequences that follow when choosing either. With this kept in mind, reading the novel we get to understand the physical and emotional burdens the men carried. 

Risking their lives for months or years, relying on other men to command or assist you can be a big responsibility. A man who was responsible for the lives of his men, was Lieutenant Jimmy Cross who was an inexperienced leader. He signed up for (ROTC) for college credentials, never thinking it would mean he would have to lead a group of men in Vietnam. With the lack of experience Cross carried a lot of burden, as more soldiers died under his hand. Is this his fault? Is a common question readers should ask. Personally speaking, I think Cross is not one to blame at all. He is not responsible for what the soldiers do; for example Curt Lemon who was playing with a grenade and accidentally setting it off on himself. Cross could've used his authority to end foolish games that Lemon was playing. But he did lack being a leader, because he failed to realize his strengths and weaknesses and use them at the appropriate time. Lieutenant Cross was too immature to be a commander, because of his day dreaming, he would find himself in his head more than commanding which was a problem. A young man who was in love and ready to pursue college, you can’t blame him for daydreaming about the possibilities while in war. But when daydreaming becomes addictive and consumes your thoughts to the point where it hinders your everyday responsibilities it can become a problem. I would imagine during war the downtime you have there’s not much to do except daydream to keep your brain active. Instead of blaming the soldiers for America's problem with Vietnam, communism should be to blame. Communism is a political and economic system that seeks to create a classless society, with its only focus being mass production. This isn’t ideal because communism can lead to restrictions on human rights. I believe those who are responsible for the Vietnam war are those who consent to communism.

To conclude, was it fair to hold these young men responsible for other people’s lives? Although they were forced to fight, there's no time to complain about that, it’s about getting back home. If that means working with others to achieve that then that should be a goal. Though war is morally wrong, the soldiers should have the conscience of making it out alive even if what they’re doing is wrong or right.