1. The Things They
CARRIED

2. Author

3. Author Author: Tim O’ Brien Born 1946
Inspired by his own father’s written accounts of battles like Iwo Jima and Okinawa during WWII.
O’Brien also became a soldier when he was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War.

4. Author
Author
O’Brien strongly opposed the war in Vietnam, but fought bravely
We was wounded in battle and returned home with numerous honors. These include:
Bronze Star of valor
Combat Infantry Badge
Purple Heart

5. General
Informaton

6. General Information General Information
The Things They Carried is a sequence of interrelated stories about different soldiers fighting in Vietnam
It is viewed as one of the foremost works of literature concerning the Vietnam war.

7. General Information
General Information
The narrative is a mix of O’Brien’s personal experiences and fiction
The main character in the story is named Tim O’Brien
The protagonist Tim O’Brien is a fictional character.
There are elements linked to the real O’Brien, but other aspects are unique to the character
The most clear example of the difference between the real and fictional O’Brien is that the author never killed a man in battle

8. Literary
Focus

9. Literary Focus Literary Focus Type of Work Genre Setting (time)
Setting (place)
Collection of interconnected short stories
War stories; coming-of-age stories; memory stories
Shifts between the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and the narrator’s immediate past, twenty years after the war
 Vietnam and Massachusetts

10. Literary Focus Literary Focus Narrator Point of View
Tim O’Brien (the character)
Uses a mix of 1st person and 3rd person
The effect is one of being able to take the reader into emotional situations through 1st person narrative and distance the reader from situations through the 3rd person perspective

11. Literary Focus Literary Focus Tone Foreshadowing
An introspective tone that relies on a self-conscious examination of human nature and human interactions
The deaths of several characters are mentioned prior to the description of their deaths.
This foreshadowing adds a sense of dread and suspense to the novel

12. Literary Focus Literary Focus Conflict Symbolism
Tim O’Brien and the other soldiers struggle with the effects—both immediate and long-term—of the Vietnam War.
The seemingly insignificant items the men carry with them are symbolic of the important small details, the overlooked instances of both joy and regret, that dominate human existence

13. Themes and Focus Themes and Focus Emotional Baggage: Perception:
the grief, guilt, fear, love, and memories each man carries with him into war and from war dominates the narrative
Perception:
the pressures society places on people weigh heavily on the backs of the soldiers
O’Brien’s character specifically reports to war because of the fear of disapproval more than any feelings of patriotism

14. Themes and Focus Themes and Focus Courage and Manhood:
The doubts, baggage and fears of perception all play into the ideas of what is true courage and what determines manhood
With perspective and experience these definitions change and alter throughout the novel

15. Summary

16. Summary and Plot Overview
The main character O’Brien catalogs the different things the other soldiers in his fighting company brought to war
These “things” can be intangible items such as guilt or fear
They can also be tangible items such as matches, morphine, M-16 rifles, and even M&M candy!

17. Summary and Plot Overview
In the section “Lost” Lieutenant Jimmy Cross deals with his feelings over a college crush and guilt over his perceived shortcomings in battle
“On the Rainy River” details the events that led to O’Brien coming to Vietnam

18. Summary and Plot Overview
“The Dentist” details a visit from Alpha Company member Curt Lemon to the dentist
“Friends” detail a pact made between friends regarding injury in battle

19. Summary and Plot Overview
Within each of these stories is often a common thread: men dealing with loss and guilt
These emotions are “things they carry” well after they are done fighting in battle

20. Characters

21. Character Analysis Character Analysis The protagonist and narrator
Enters the war a scared young man afraid of the shame that dodging the war would bring him
As a middle-aged man he struggles to cope with his painful memories and emotional baggage
He is conflicted over his own personal beliefs and those of his country and family
Character Analysis
Tim O’Brien

22. Character Analysis Character Analysis Other Characters Jimmy Cross:
An immature college student who signs up for the reserves because of his friends
Mitchell Sanders:
Loyal and pragmatic individual who doesn’t believe war teaches lessons or truths
Kiowa
A Baptist and a Native American, who brings a perspective different from that of his fellow soldiers