A Breathtaking Performance by:
Brian Hamilton and Tony Olan
The Ghost Soldiers
Plot:
The chapter of the ghost soldiers begins with Tim O’Brien is in midst of war near
the location of Tri Binh. He has just been shot and the medic, Rat Kiley, attends to Tim in
the middle of the battle. Returning to the Alpha Company platoon 26 days later, O’Brien
learns that Rat Kiley has been injured and shipped off to Japan. A new medic, by the
name of Bobby Jorgenson, was to become the new medic for the platoon. Tim O’Brien is
then shot a second time in the butt, along the Song Tra Bong. As a new man to war,
Jorgenson hesitates out of fear for ten minutes before moving to the aid of Tim. With the
hesitation of Jorgenson, Tim had a possibility of dying from shock, as O’Brien slowly
seeks revenge against Jorgenson. After being shot a second time, Tim is transferred out of
his platoon into a safer location where he no longer has to travel on foot and enter combat.
At one point of time, O’Brien and his platoon reunite as his confrontations with his
former group give Tim the sense that he is truly separated from them, and no longer a
member of the group. Tim eventually exchanges words with Mitchell Sanders, who tells
Tim that Jorgenson made a mistake but has grew to become a good medic. Jorgenson is
now part of their group. The next day, O’Brien runs into Bobby as he tries to apologize
for the mistake that he made. Not accepting his apology, O’Brien devises a plan in which
he asks Azar to help him conduct. The two men wait until Jorgenson is on the night
watch as O’Brien and Azar rig ropes to cans filled with cartridges, giving the false sound
of a ghost, which referred to a near-by enemy. After Tim believes that he made his point,
he encourages Azar to stop, but the man does not comply. After going too far, Jorgenson
finally realizes the prank, calling things even between him and Tim. The end of the
chapter ends with Tim showing his disgust on the actions of Azar.
Characterization:
Character
Tim O’Brien
Rat Kiley
Bobby Jorgenson
Details
Tim O’Brien in this chapter remembers two instances where he is
shot, which introduces the new medic of the platoon, Bobby
Jorgenson. Having a near death experience, he cannot forgive
Bobby Jorgenson for hesitating to save him. He is sent out of the
platoon for his safety and eventually devises the plan to get
revenge on Jorgenson by scaring him.
Rat Kiley was the original medic of the platoon. He was injured
soon after aiding O’Brien after being shot the first time. He is
then sent to Japan and is no longer the medic for the platoon.
Bobby Jorgenson is the new medic that replaces Rat Kiley. He
was new to war, and suffered from the typical fear or being shot
or killed in battle. Due to this, he hesitates in treating O’Brien
when he is shot the second time. After this, O’Brien first hates
him for the fact that his hesitation could have caused O’Brien to
Mitchell Sanders
Norman Bowker
Azar
Morty Phillips
Henry Dobbins
die from shock.
Mitchell Sanders, the Radio and Telephone Operator, is one of the
now former members of Tim’s platoon. He is the man who tells
Tim of the progression that Bobby Jorgenson has made and has
redeemed himself from his mistakes.
Tells Tim of the story that takes place in My Khe where a
member of the squad, Morty Phillips, uses up all his luck by
going swimming on a hot day.
The man that helps Tim carry out his plan of revenge against
Jorgenson. Azar is a man who does not show mercy or
compassion. He is not really liked by anyone, but likes playing a
part in torture and pranks. In the prank on Jorgenson, he takes the
situation too far.
Man in the chapter who was part of the platoon and used up all
his luck. He went swimming alone on a hot-hot day. After taking
this swim, he became very sick but was eventually saved by
Jorgenson.
The machine gunner of the platoon that took a minor part in the
telling of the story of Morty. Believed that the disease Morty got
was “fuckin’ polio” (196).
Key Passages of the Chapter:
~ “Jorgenson was no Rat Kiley. He was green and incompetent scared.” (190).
- This passage is important because it shows the fear that live inside a
person. Like a typical person, a man fears death, and Jorgenson was no
exception. As a new member to the reality of war, Jorgenson was
unable to risk his life to attempt to save another. This fear is hard to
get over but eventually many soldiers overcome this fear with
experience in the battlefield along with closer bonds that form between
the platoon.
~ “Oh man, that’s the last thing I’ll ever see, that pebble, that blade of grass,
which makes you want to cry” (191).
- The importance of this quote refers to the state of having a near-death
experience along with the importance of life. This experience shows
the actual reality of war. Soldiers constantly risk their life to fight for
their country. This passage shows that even though soldiers are
risking their lives, they still do not want to die. Nearing death, O’Brien
saw that pebble and that blade of grass as the coming towards the end
of his life. Having this near-death experience helped O’Brien realize
the little things in life.
~ “So when I got shot the second time, in the butt, along the Song Tra Bong, it
took the son of a bitch almost ten minutes to work up the nerve to crawl over to
me. By then I was gone with the pain. Later I found that I’d almost died of
Shock” (190).
- This quote displays the feeling of betrayal that Tim O’Brien felt
towards Bobby Jorgenson. Bobby Jorgenson, a medic and a member of
the platoon, was unable to perform his job of treating the injured. Due
to this, Tim felt that Jorgenson stabbed him in the back.
~ “But I couldn’t feel it anymore. In the end, all I felt was that coldness down
inside my chest. Number one: the guy had almost killed me. Number two: there
had to be consequences” (201).
- Referring to Bobby Jorgenson, Tim O’Brien could not seem to forgive
the mistake of Jorgenson. Tim was overcome by the feeling of
coldness and vengeance that he must get back at Jorgenson no matter
the circumstance. By almost facing death, Tim was pushed into a state
where anything less than revenge was not possible for him.
~ “On the other hand, I’d already been hit with two bullets; I was superstitious; I
believed in the odds with the same passion that my friend Kiowa had once
believed in the power Jesus Christ, or the way Mitchell Sanders believed in the
power of morals” (192).
“‘Well, that’s about it. Poor Morty wasted his luck. Pissed it away.’ ‘On
nothing,’ Azar said. ‘The dummy pisses it away on nothing” (193).
- Superstition and luck both played a big factor in the decisions made by
the soldiers. Due to their superstition, they believed that their fate was
intertwined with the amount of luck that they were granted. Luck was
the key to your future, determining your destiny of whether or not you
should live or die.
~ “When you’re afraid, really afraid, you see things you never saw before, you
pay attention to the world. You make close friends. You become part of a tribe
and you share the same blood – you give it together, you take it together” (192).
- Through the terrors of the battlefield, friends were the closest things to
you. Friendship was one of the major keys to surviving war. As you
move on further into a war, you become closer and closer amongst
your friends into a position where you were eventually became so
close that the whole platoon had one mind, one body, and one soul.
~ “‘The kid messed up bad, for sure, but you have to take into account how green
he was. Brand-new, remember? Thing is, he’s doing a lot better now. I mean,
listen, the guy knows his shit. Say what you want, but he kept Morty Phillips
alive’” (197).
- This passage shows the role of progression that takes place in war.
Bobby Jorgenson, who was a new medic at the time of committing the
mistake, went through the process of progression by slowly learning
and adapting to the environment, including getting rid of things such
as fear of being shot. With the role of progression, a person can learn
from their past mistakes and try to improve the future.
Themes: The following themes correspond to the above key passages in the same order.
Fear, Life, Betrayal, Vengeance, Superstition/Luck, Friendship, Progression
Setting: The early setting of the chapter is at first out by Tri Binh, when O’Brien is shot
for the first time. The story then takes place in mid-December where Tim finds out that
Rat Kiley has been injured and sent to Japan. Soon afterwards, the setting then shifts
along the Song Tra Bong where O’Brien was shot for the second time causing the
conflict between him and Jorgenson. At the end of December, the story shifts to
Headquarters Company – S-4, the battalion supply section. The story continues into the
month of March where mostly the rest of the chapter takes place.
Tone: The tone of the chapter is one full of coldness and vengeance, which was directly
fueled by the emotions of Tim O’Brien. With the progression of the chapter, the tone
changes as it correlates to the mind of Tim. The tone therefore begins with anger (190),
moving towards vengeance (201), then into guilt (217) at the end of the chapter when
Tim finally feels bad for the prank he pulled.
Symbols: Various symbols in the chapter include:
- The pebble and rock: importance of life
- The night: fear
- Famous actresses/singers: false reality/ dreams
- Luck: a person’s destiny/future
- Vietnam: horror, death, war.
Conflict:
Internal – The internal conflict is the revenge that Tim O’Brien wants for
Jorgenson’s mistake of not reacting quickly to save his life. Tim O’Brien feels that he
was betrayed by his fellow comrade and must have his payback. After receiving
apologies, Tim still cannot forgive Jorgenson over almost letting him die, and he wants to
find any way possible to get even at Bobby. At the end of the chapter, another internal
conflict arises between Azar and O’Brien where Azar failed to stop the prank until they
went to far. This causes Tim to become irate enough to the point where he is ready to kill
Azar.
External – The basic external conflict continues to be surviving the terrors of war
in the midst of battle, such as facing the Viet Cong and avoid getting shot. You should try
and be as obedient as possible and not use up all your given luck.
Essay Prompt: (Minimum of 1250 words)
You must conduct an elaborate essay in which you write upon one of the major themes
that is displayed in the chapter, “The Ghost Soldiers”. The essay must contain a
substantial amount of references from the book, The Things They Carried. The essay will
be graded according to the FCA (Focus Correction Areas) of the PSSA standards. The
essay will be due on the 28th of January 2005.