Released From The Grip Of What He Carried: Freedom Birds :: essays research papers

Released From the Grip of What He Carried Freedom Birds"They dreamed of liberty birds. At night, on guard, staring into the dark,they were carried away by large jets. They felt up the rush of takeoff. G starThey yelled. (286). "Freedom bird" an appropriate term for the jumbo jets thattake the soldiers from their tour because it gives them the freedom from whathas been handing them back. Throughout the story, First deputy sheriff Jimmy crosscuthas his mind everywhere but on his substructure he is supposed to be leading on thetour. The story shows how eve the smallest memory, letter, or learn can drawanyone from reality. It shows several mens postulate to overcome theirpredisposed conscience and deal with reality.     It has become one of the round common occurrences in any war.Grandfathers, uncles, and plain brothers have told how they would recall as theywere fighting, they themselves carried the unnecessary on a tour. The seeminglyinnoce nt picture, the numerous earn sent, and even thoughts of what it waslike to be home, all of a loved one is now shown to have an impact. As seenwith Jimmy Cross, some men even went to a profound obsession. As mentionedearly in the work, Jimmy Cross carries letters and two pictures from a friendnamed Martha. The story tells how "he would spear his foxhole, wash his handsunder a canteen, unwrap the letters and photos, hold them with the tips of hisfingers, and spend the last hour of light pretending, he would imagine sentimentalistcamping trips" (275). One picture is a black and white picture of Marthastanding against a brick wall. It is told how Martha has an apparent neutrallook to her, and Cross cant assistant but notice the shadow of the person taking thepicture. Cross knows she has boyfriends, knows she is circumferent to men other thanhimself. The other picture that Cross has is one of Martha cut from ayearbook. It is a shot of Martha playing volleyball for her scho ol. In thepicture, Martha is " dead set(p) horizontal to the floor, reaching, the palms of herhands in sharp focusthe expression on her face taut and competitive" (276). Theusual glance at a picture isnt enough for this man. It becomes an obsessionfor him to do this every night, sometimes he "licks the envelopes knowing thather tongue touched the paper" (275).OBrien gives the impression that Cross has the deepest thoughts for Martha end-to-end the story. He mentions on numerous occasions that Cross isthinking about her, and imagining being with her.