Jimmy Cross In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

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A man whose heart is not in his work will often not do a good job. Lt. Jimmy Cross cares more about going home than leading his troops in battle. He makes risky decisions that have big consequences. He does not want the responsibility of leading troops in battle so he does not care enough to do a proper job. In The Things They Carried, Jimmy Cross is an ineffective leader as he puts his men in danger and is not well-prepared or focused.

Lt. Jimmy Cross is out in the war zone, yet all he wants to do is be back in America lounging and relaxing. His mind is wandering, and looking at his platoon reminds him of his hometown golf course, when he thinks that “He wished he were there right now...on the sixth hole” (O’Brien 160). Jimmy is reminiscing about home life when he should be paying attention to his troops. The mindset he is in distracts him from the war. This displays his inability to be a quality leader as he is …show more content…
Thinking back to when he first went to military college, Jimmy says he “had never wanted it” and “was unprepared” (O’Brien 160). These thoughts back up the idea that he is not an effective leader, as he was not ready for war and all the challenges it throws at him. Being unprepared harms the people around him and reflects back on how he is not fit to be leading troops in the war. Jimmy is unprepared, does not want to be in the draft and he also has no concern for war. He talks about how he did not care one way or the other about war and even after being in the war for so long, he did not know to keep his men out of a dangerous marsh (O’Brien 161). Jimmy is used to being at war, as he is there for many months but still is not able to think strategically and make informed choices. His thoughts about how he does not want to be at war and that is heart is not in it, fully show how he is an inadequate
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