The Yellow Birds

by

Kevin Powers

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Yellow Birds makes teaching easy.

The Cartwright Character Analysis

A mysterious man who is surprisingly unperturbed by the presence of twenty armed American soldiers around him, the old cartwright gives Sterling and Bartle accurate information about where Murph’s body lies, suggesting that he probably witnessed the violent scene of Murph’s death. His indifference to cruelty and to the threat of violence highlights how ordinary brutality has become in this part of the world.
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The Cartwright Character Timeline in The Yellow Birds

The timeline below shows where the character The Cartwright appears in The Yellow Birds. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 10: October 2004 – Al Tafar, Nineveh Province, Iraq
War, Violence, and Detachment Theme Icon
...previous night. Sterling decides that Bartle and he will go explore the minaret, and the cartwright offers to guide them there. The cartwright then placidly stops and feeds his mule, explaining... (full context)
War, Violence, and Detachment Theme Icon
Memory and Trauma Theme Icon
Sterling and Bartle call the old cartwright, who asks for a cigarette, and they lift Murph’s body into the cart. Sterling burns... (full context)