the things they carried essay questions

The Things They Carried

By tim o'brien, the things they carried essay questions.

Is the book told in first person or third person? How does this affect the seeming reliability of the narrative?

The Things They Carried is narrated, alternately, in third person and first person. The first person "I" narratives feel trustworthy and personal, but O'Brien warns the reader against this very pitfall. He writes that war stories should always be mistrusted, no matter who is telling them.

What is the role of shame in the soldiers' lives? Does shame propel them to heroism or stupidity?

Shame is the reason that Tim O'Brien decided to go to Vietnam. Many of the characters feel shame as a primary motivator, too. Not only does it lead them to war, but it keeps them there. It is the one thing that keeps them from shooting themselves in the foot so that they would be discharged from the army or some similar such act. But some characters, like Curt Lemon, think that shame impels them to heroism, not stupidity.

In "The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong how does gender seem to affect reactions to war?

Mary Anne is one of the few females featured in the book, and her experience seems to suggest that war is a great equalizer between the genders. When she arrives she is innocent, sexy, and very feminine. After the war "gets to her" she becomes a killer like the others.

The central topic of The Things They Carried is the Vietnam War, but the book is also about writing and storytelling. How would you describe O'Brien's conception of the role of fiction?

O'Brien writes that fiction serves a higher purpose than merely recounting what happened. He writes that a good war story makes you wonder "is it true?" It makes you care about the answer to that question. After having provoked that authentic feeling, it does not actually matter if the story is true or not. Fiction is as good as experience.

A reoccuring theme throughout the book is expressed by the title. What do the characters carry aside from physical objects?

The characters carry emotions like sadness and fear. Jimmy Cross carries responsibility for the lives of his men. O'Brien sets up a dichotomy between weight and lightness, with war always described in terms of weight, love in terms of lightness. His characters are condemned to carry the war for the rest of their lives.

What role does Kathleen play in this book? Does she make her father feel guilty?

Kathleen, O'Brien's daughter, is a stand-in for the reader. She listens to her father's stories just as the reader does. But because she is a character she can ask him questions, including whether or not he has ever killed anyone. O'Brien's makes a guilt-tinged decision whether or not to lie, or make up stories for his daughter.

Soldiers' tales are often an opportunity for the teller to swagger, to play the hero, to seem macho. How does O'Brien portray this macho culture?

Because O'Brien is so ambivalent toward the whole project of war, it is not surprising that this book disapproves of macho storytelling. Curt Lemon is the most macho character, a man who asks a dentist to pull out a perfectly good tooth to demonstrate that he is not a sissy. Lemon dies the most horrible death imaginable, but he is still the least likeable character in the book.

Read the dedication page of the book. How is it part of the narrative?

O'Brien dedicated his book to his characters, the men he served with in Vietnam. This exemplifies the uneasy position of the book with regard to fiction and non-fiction. The author insists it is a fictional account. But elements like the dedication continue to point to the reality of what happened in Vietnam.

O'Brien writes that a story is "like a kind of dreaming." How so?

O'Brien tells war stories partly so that he can relive them again and again. He argues that each time time one tells or reads a story one breathes life into the characters. When the story is over, they are dead again, he writes. For O'Brien, fiction also resembles dreamingbecause both are involuntary: he cannot help that his experiences haunt him.

What is the role of death in this book? Is it a release from a nightmarish life, or something to be feared?

O'Brien, the narrator, is a profoundly non-religious man. For him, death is the end of the story. The sense of senselessness pervading this book is rooted in two things: the Vietnam War seems to have no real cause or justification, and the young men killed there reach the end of their lives and effectively disappear. O'Brien's non-belief in the afterlife lends a special tinge of horror to the already horrifying events.

The Things They Carried Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Things They Carried is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

is this a war story, per se? if so who is the main character, and why?

This particular story is more about sexual longing than war. Mark Fossie seems to be the main character who wants to import his girlfriend.

What is it that Jimmy cross carries with him? What do they represent?

Jimmy always carries letters from Martha. His identity and hopes for the future are part of those letters.

How does Tim kill his first enemy

I think with a grenade.

Study Guide for The Things They Carried

The Things They Carried study guide contains a biography of Tim O'Brien, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Things They Carried
• The Things They Carried Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Things They Carried

The Things They Carried essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.

• Rationalizing the Fear Within
• Physical and Psychological Burdens
• Role of Kathleen and Linda in The Things They Carried
• Let’s Communicate: It’s Not About War
• Turning Over a New Leaf: Facing the Pressures of Society

Lesson Plan for The Things They Carried

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Things They Carried
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Things They Carried Bibliography

The Things They Carried

Tim o’brien, everything you need for every book you read..

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Tim O’Brien's The Things They Carried . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

The Things They Carried: Introduction

The things they carried: plot summary, the things they carried: detailed summary & analysis, the things they carried: themes, the things they carried: quotes, the things they carried: characters, the things they carried: symbols, the things they carried: theme wheel, brief biography of tim o’brien.

Historical Context of The Things They Carried

Other books related to the things they carried.

• Full Title: The Things They Carried
• When Written: 1980s
• Where Written: The United States
• When Published: 1990
• Literary Period: Contemporary
• Genre: War Novel
• Setting: Vietnam; Minnesota; central Iowa

Extra Credit for The Things They Carried

Film Adaptation. "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" was made into a movie in 1998. It was titled A Soldier's Sweetheart and starred Kiefer Sutherland.

“The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien: A War Memoir Essay

“The Things They Carried” is a short story written by Tim O’Brien to present to the readers his own autobiography and a war memoir. O’Brien complicates the narration by creating the protagonist who actually shares his real name. The story is about a platoon of soldiers from the American soil fighting in the Vietnam War.

The title of the story “The Things They Carried” is effective for it describes the soldiers and the kind of valuables they brought along in their missions. This is evidenced by the introduction of the story where Tim O’Brien gives a detailed description of the main characters and what they carry from the physical items to emotional ones as well. This paper will focus on the title of the story “The Things They Carried” and how it acts as a guide to the meaning of the story.

Through the use of literary techniques, the author gives detailed accounts of the tangible and intangible things which the soldiers take with them and which most of the times burden them. Each of the soldier’s possessions defines the kind of people they really are. The things that the soldiers carry depend on several factors like their constitutions, priorities, missions, necessity, and sometimes superstition.

The narrator says “they carried malaria tablets, love letters, 28 pound mine detectors, dope, illustrated bibles, and each other.” If the soldiers happen to arrive home safely and sound, “they carried unrelenting images of a nightmarish war” (O’Brien, 2009). The title of the story fits well with its meaning as evidenced by the first point of view of the narrator when describing the things they carry.

Jimmy Cross the Lieutenant of the company carries letters written by his girlfriend Martha everywhere he goes. Even though the girl has not given Jimmy a sign or an indication of love, he still carries the letters as a reminder of his love for her. Jimmy’s backpack carries each letter written by Martha and his mouth carries “her good luck charm” (O’Brien, 2009).

After marching the whole day, Jimmy would sit down, unwrap the letters and fantasize that Martha will one day come to her senses and returning his love. Apart from the letters, Jimmy does carry Martha’s photographs to serve as a memory of her. It was only once that he got the chance to go on a movie date with Martha.

During the movie, he had touched her knee and the look she gave him made Jimmy withdraw his hand fast. O’Brien explains that, while on mission, Jimmy wishes that “he had carried her upstairs, tied her to the bed, and touched her knee the whole night” (2009).

The description of the physical items carried by the men on their day to day events give the story a meaning. The narrator O’Brien makes it possible for the reader to realize this; he explains the physical items as mosquito repellants, chewing gums, and pocket knives among others (2009).

Henry Dobbins one of the platoon members carries a large machine gun and extra rations of food to nourish his huge body. At the same time, Dobbins superstitious nature makes him carry and tie the pantyhose of his girlfriend around the neck. Ted Lavender who is ever nervous carries tranquilizers and marijuana to use when he need to calm down. Kiowa who is a religious man carries the New Testament Bible given to him by his father in all missions. The things that these men carry are highly determined by the kind of necessities they have.

One Dave Jensen is a very hygienic man and as a result, he carries his tooth brush wherever he goes together with dental floss and bar soaps stolen from Sydney, Australia. As a matter of necessity, the men are required to carry important items like wrist watches, mosquito repellants, can openers, heat tabs, pocket knives, lighters, sewing kits, matches, salt, cigarettes, water, food rations, and Military payment Certificates among other items.

Steel helmets and camouflage covers are equally a necessity which each man has to carry. For clothing, the men would carry fatigue trousers and jackets, boots, socks, and foot powder to protect them against foot diseases. While Mitchell Sanders carries condoms, Norman Bowker carries his diary, and Rat Kiley values his comic books and carries them everywhere.

According to O’Brien, the land is full of booby traps, therefore it is a necessity for every man to carry “steel centered, nylon covered flak jacket” (2009).

With the cold nights, it is a requirement that the men carry plastic ponchos which are green in color, to use as raincoats during the monsoons or makeshift tent or even a groundsheet. All these items are universal and essential as evidenced by Ted Lavender’s situation after he is shot; using the poncho, the men wrap him well and carry him across the paddies to the chopper which takes him away for treatment.

Depending on psychology and topography, the men carry the right kind of weapons and enough ammunition. According to the type of mission, the men carry varied weapons to suit the varied situations. They carry M-14S, shotguns, Simonov carbines, bayonets, Smith and Wesson handguns, and silencers among the many types of weapons.

In most situations, Lee Strunk carries his slingshot which he calls “the weapon of last resort” (O’Brien, 2009). Kiowa would carry the hatchet which his grandfather was fond of using and Mitchell Sanders carries brass knuckles. Each man is required to carry grenades; the grenades could be smoke grenades, white phosphoric grenades or tear gas grenades.

Tim O’Brien explains that “they carried all they could bear, and then some; including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried” (O’Brien, 2009).

The things they carry also vary with the kind of mission to attend; on a mountainous mission, the men carry machetes, tarps, mosquito nets, and bug juice. On night and ambush missions, each man carries the most valued item in their lives. The title the things they carried gives meaning to the entire story as evidenced by the stuff the soldiers carry.

Superstition plays a role in the things the men carry; Jimmy Cross does not leave his good luck charm in the form of a pebble given to him by Martha. Dave Jenson carries along a rabbit foot and Norman Bowker carries the thumb given to him by Mitchell Sanders.

The men carry stationary, pens and pencils, safety pins, signal flares, razor blades, candles, fingernail clippers, trip flares, wire, hats, statuettes of the Buddha, and so much more.In conclusion, the things the men carry change after Ted Lavender’s death. With Lieutenant Jimmy Cross blaming himself for fantasizing about Martha instead of saving Ted, he burns everything that reminds him of her.

The title of the story gives its meaning; of all the things the men carry, the greatest burden is their emotions. They carry loads of desires, memories, and fears as well. To show the seriousness of the intangible burden, the lieutenant Jimmy Cross says “it is very sad the things the men carried inside” (O’Brien, 2009).

O’Brien, T. (2009). The things they carried: A work of fiction . Boston: Houghton Mifflin

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2022, March 15). "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien: A War Memoir. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-things-they-carried-essay/

""The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien: A War Memoir." IvyPanda , 15 Mar. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/the-things-they-carried-essay/.

IvyPanda . (2022) '"The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien: A War Memoir'. 15 March.

IvyPanda . 2022. ""The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien: A War Memoir." March 15, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-things-they-carried-essay/.

1. IvyPanda . ""The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien: A War Memoir." March 15, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-things-they-carried-essay/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . ""The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien: A War Memoir." March 15, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-things-they-carried-essay/.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Things They Carried — The Things They Carried Rhetorical Analysis

The Things They Carried Rhetorical Analysis

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• The Things They Carried

Tim O'Brien

• Literature Notes
• Narrative Structure in The Things They Carried
• Book Summary
• About The Things They Carried
• Character List
• Summary and Analysis
• On the Rainy River
• Enemies and Friends
• How to Tell a True War Story
• The Dentist
• Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong
• The Man I Killed and Ambush
• Speaking of Courage
• In the Field
• The Ghost Soldiers
• The Lives of the Dead
• Character Analysis
• Tim O'Brien
• Lt. Jimmy Cross
• Norman Bowker
• Mary Anne Bell
• Henry Dobbins
• Tim O'Brien Biography
• Critical Essays
• The Things They Carried in a Historical Context
• Style and Storytelling in The Things They Carried
• The Things They Carried and Loss of Innocence
• The Things They Carried and Questions of Genre
• Full Glossary for The Things They Carried
• Essay Questions
• Practice Projects
• Cite this Literature Note

Critical Essays Narrative Structure in The Things They Carried

The Things They Carried  is not easily characterized as a novel or autobiography or short story collection. The book is comprised of 22 short pieces that are referential to one another. Though individual pieces can stand alone, and some were published singly or anthologized, the distinct pieces are meant to comprise a whole meditative novel.

One narrative technique that O'Brien uses is repetition. O'Brien frequently retells certain incidents, often adding incremental detail with each telling. One example of this is the scene of Kiowa's death, which, retold five times, is the core of most of the novel's action and the catalyst for most characters' development. Students often overlook the importance of this repetition by mistaking it as redundancy. Instead, the repetition is a stylistic technique O'Brien employs to illuminate the truth of a story by adding and subtracting telling detail. The effect of this for an astute reader is a feeling that simulates "O'Brien's" intense obsession with the stories he tells and retells because they run through his memory almost constantly.

O'Brien's novel is untraditional in a second narrative sense as well, due in part to the non-linear presentation of the novel's action. O'Brien does not maintain temporal continuity; he jumps from the past to the present and then to the distant past and then back to the present. In a way, this constant memory shifting leads the reader down a path of memory similar to O'Brien's. In other words, O'Brien forces an experience of recollections leading to other memories and new insights on his reader, creating an emotional response to the novel in the reader. This path of memory — which is congruent to O'Brien's own — more actively involves the reader in a constant dialogic interplay with the novel. For readers, as for O'Brien, certain events and details recall the details and events of other stories. By using a narrative technique that constantly generates new contexts in which to revisit stories, such as that when O'Brien recalls Linda when contemplating a dead body he sees in Vietnam, he creates new meanings through shifting juxtapositions.

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