Study Questions for The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien The Things They Carried (pages 1-26) 1. Who is the narrator? 2. What do we learn about these characters? What do they carry that reveals information about them? - First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross - Dave Jensen - Mitchell Sanders - Rat Kiley - Henry Dobbins Ted Lavender - - - Norman Bowker Kiowa 3. What is the relationship between Jimmy and Martha? 4. How does Jimmy react to Ted Lavender's death? Why does he burn Martha's letters and photos? 5. How do the soldiers respond to Ted's death? Do their reactions surprise or shock you? Why? Why do you think they react in this way? 6. Different reasons for carrying things are given: - necessity - function of rank or field specialty - mission - superstition - intangibles Under each category, list one or two things that appealed to you, or shocked or surprised you. 7. Why do you think the narrator goes into such detail about the things carried? What is the effect of the long lists and seemingly superfluous details? 8. The writer starts off by describing the physical things the soldiers carry, then moves to the abstract things – why do you think is the heavier burden? Why? 9. The narrator says, "They carried the soldier's greatest fear which was the fear of blushing." (p.21) What does this mean? Why is it greater than the fear of dying? 10. How does Jimmy Cross's character change through this chapter? 11. What atmosphere is created in this chapter? 12. What do you think is the purpose and theme of this chapter? 13. Imagine you are a soldier or refugee from war – what would you carry? Write 400-500 words telling what things you would pack into your rucksack. Love (pages 27-30) 1. Point of view - How does the narration change from 'The Things They Carried'? - Who is the narrator and what is his relationship to Jimmy? - What do we discover about him? 2. Time - When does this 'chapter' take place? When is the narrator speaking? 3. Reading between the lines - What does the writer mean when he says that Martha was "a trained nurse, though nursing wasn't the point" (page 28)? What was the point? - Martha has never married "and probably never would" (page 28). What does the writer suggest as reasons? What do you think Jimmy doesn't want the narrator to mention? (page 30) Spin (pages 31-38) 1. What is Azar's attitude to the boy with one leg? Why does he blow up the puppy? What do these incidents show about his character? 2. Why does the narrator say that there was "something restful" about checkers, "something orderly and reassuring"? 3. Why did the soldiers treat walking through a minefield as a game? 4. Why does the narrator write war stories? 5. What does the AWOL soldier mean when he says, "All that peace, man, it felt so good it hurt. I want to hurt it back"? On the Rainy River (pages 39-61) 1. Why hasn't the narrator ever told this story before? Why is he telling it now? 2. How does the narrator feel about war in general? 3. How did he feel about being drafted? 4. Why did he hesitate about going to Canada? 5. Why didn't Elroy ask questions? Do you think he knows about the narrator's situation? 6. Why didn't the narrator take the opportunity to go to Canada? 7. Why didn't he take the money? 8. Why does he say, "I was a coward. I went to the war"? Enemies and Friends (pages 62-66) 1. Why did Dave Jensen react the way he did? Why did he break his own nose? 2. Do you think Dave Jensen would have killed Lee Strunk? Why do you think he seems relieved "of an enormous weight?" 3. Why do you think Tim O'Brien chose to separate these two stories? Why didn't he make them one longer 'chapter'? How to Tell a True War Story (pages 67-85) 1. Why didn't Curt Lemon's sister reply? Would you have? 2. What does the narrator mean by saying, "A true war story is never moral" (p.68)? Do you agree? 3. What are the qualities of a true war story? 4. According to the narrator, why can't you believe a true war story? 5. What is the point of Mitchell Sanders' story? 6. Does the narrator's story about the baby buffalo ring true? Why or why not? 7. Why might women like this story? 8. Why does the narrator insist it is a love story rather than a war story? Do you agree? 9. Why does he mean when he says a true war story is never about war? 10. Do you agree that soldiers should "put it all behind" them and "find new stories to tell" (p.84)? The Dentist (pages 86-88) 1. The narrator is not sure whether Curt Lemon had a too high or a too low opinion of himself. What do you think? 2. What was the point of having his teeth pulled? Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong (pages 89-118) 1. Do you think this is a true war story? Why or why not? 2. What is the point of the story? Stockings (pages 117-118) 1. What is revealed about Henry Dobbins's character? 2. What does Henry Dobbins symbolize? How? 3. What do the stockings represent? 4. Why does the writer say: "It was a relief for all of us"? Church (pages 119-123) 1. What is revealed about Kiowa's character? 2. Why do the monks call him 'Soldier Jesus'? 3. What is revealed about Henry Dobbins's character? 4. Henry Dobbins says he is not the 'churchy type' though he believes in God. What is the difference? The Man I Killed (pages 124-130) 1. How does the narrator know so much about the man he killed? 2. How does he feel about having killed him? 3. Look at the different reactions of Azar and Kiowa. What do they reveal about their characters? 4. How does this chapter link back to the first chapter? 5. Why does Kiowa take the dead man's possessions? Ambush (pages 131-134) 1. When is this chapter set in comparison to the preceding one? 2. Why does Tim want his daughter to ask the question again when she is older? 3. Why does he lie to his daughter? Is it a lie? 4. How does he feel about killing the young man? 5. Why does he sometimes 'see' the young man? Style (pages 135-136) 1. What is the point of the title? 2. Why is the girl dancing? 3. Why is Dobbins so upset about Azar's mimicking the girl's dance? 4. How does this story support what we already know about these two characters? Speaking of Courage (pages 137-154) 1. What is the significance of the title? 2. When is this chapter set? What are the time references? 3. How does Norman Bowker feel on returning to the US? Why? 4. Why can't he tell his story to anyone? 5. Norman has seven medals but thinks about one he didn't get - why? 6. The voice on the intercom at the diner asks Norman, "What you really need, friend?" What do you think he really needs? 7. What do you imagine happens to Norman at the end of the chapter? 8. What is the significance of this chapter and its title? Notes (pages 155-161) 1. What is the purpose of this chapter? 2. How was Tim able to survive while Norman couldn't? 3. Why does Tim tell us so much about how he came to write the story? 4. Why do you think Norman Bowker committed suicide? 5. Why does Tim say: "That part of the story is my own"? In the Field (pages 162-178) 1. How does Jimmy Cross feel about Kiowa's death? Why? 2. The young soldier whose "shoulders were shaking" is not named in this chapter. Why not? Are there any clues to his identity? 3. Why is he so upset? Good Form (pages 179-180) 1. What is the difference between "story-truth" and "happening-truth"? 2. What is the point of telling stories? 3. How can Tim answer his daughter honestly both 'yes' and 'no'? Field Trip (pages 181-188) 1. Why has Tim returned to Vietnam? 2. Why do you think he took his daughter along? 3. How does he feel on returning to the field? 4. Why does he say: "I felt something go shut in my heart while something else swung open"? What do you think went shut and swung open? The Ghost Soldiers (pages 189-218) 1. Why does Tim hate Bobby Jorgensen? 2. Why does he feel so betrayed by his comrades? 3. What do we learn about Bobby's character? 4. Why does Tim say: "I hated him for making me stop hating him"? 5. Why did Tim really hate Bobby? 6. Why does the writer give the details of Tim's wounding a bit at a time? 7. What does this chapter reveal about human nature? Night Life (pages 219-224) 1. What are the different meanings of the title? 2. How does Rat Kiley "finally hit the wall"? Why? 3. What has happened to "the soldier's greatest fear"? The Lives of the Dead (pages 225-246) 1. What does O'Brien mean by: "stories can save us"? 2. Why didn't Tim shake hands with the corpse? 3. How did Kiowa interprete this? 4. Why does the corpse remind Tim of Linda and her hat? 5. Why do the soldiers use language to make the dead "seem not quite so dead"? 6. Why is Tim "trying to save Timmy's life with a story"?
