The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien Lyona Elie Rose Gonzalez Stephanie Ng

Plot Summary The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, is a novel that describes various situations from his perspective as well as different characters’, who deal with the immediate and long- term effects of the Vietnam War. At first glance, the novel seems like a typical war story, but as it progresses, readers understand more about the hardships of war. Readers can see the emotions and problems that each soldier faced.

Themes Warfare-the book is mainly set in a war zone during the Vietnam War. Truth- Whether or not it actually happened is beside the point; something can even have happened and not be true. -O'Brien portrays "story-truth" instead of the "happening- truth Fear/cowardice/bravery- the soldiers fear of cowardice itself, which drives men to perform acts that their consciences wouldn't otherwise allow. -All their strength is a reaction against the fear of weakness.

Themes (cont.) Friendship- Friendship with other soldiers is the most important relationship in the mens' lives – more important than romantic or familial ones back home. It's what keeps them going. Guilt/blame/redemption- The deaths of the soldiers in war affect everyone else there because they all feel like they could have or should have done something to prevent it. Reputation-“they carried their reputations.”-They wouldn't admit they wanted to go home or show any form of weakness because of the fear of emasculation.

Characters Tim O'Brien- protagonist who tells the story of his experiences in war in order to cope with the confusion and guilt Mitchell Sanders- radio and brass nuckles; father-figure type and a very like-able character Mary Anne Bell- symbolizes the affects of war and the barbaric nature that overwhelms them Ted Lavender- used drugs to calm himself down; dies when taking a slash

Characters Lt. Jimmy Cross- Martha's letters and pictures; responsible for his soldiers and their well-being Kiowa- Bible; O'Brien's BFF; a model of rational morality Dave Jensen- Soap and dental floss(clean freak); his actions speak louder than his words(Lee Strunk situation) Norman Bowker- diary and Vietnamese boy's thumb for good luck; commits suicide instead of adapting to civilization Bob “Rat” Kiley- M&Ms and comic books; medic who shoots himself

EXCERPT “True war stories do not generalize. They do not indulge in abstraction or analysis. For example: War is hell. As a moral declaration the old truism seems perfectly true, and yet because it abstracts, because it generalizes, I can’t believe it with my stomach. Nothing turns inside. It comes down to gut instinct. A true war story, if truly told, makes the stomach believe.” (Page 78)