THE THINGS THEY CARRIED Blake Boyd Isaiah May

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED Blake Boyd Isaiah May Hunter Lester Adam Starr

Author Background � Tim O’Brien, born 10 -1 -1946, was an influential writer in novels on the Vietnam War. Born in Austin, Minnesota, O’Brien grew up around music for most of his life, which helped develop his artistic sensibility. He began writing in 1973, which was inspired by his experiences in war, and continued to write about soldiers and the trouble they go through.

Historical Background � The novel is a collection of fictional short stories that revolve around the Vietnam War, and the trials that the soldiers face before, during and after.

Summary � The novel follows the character, Tim O’Brien, through a collection of fictional stories based on his time before, in , and after the Vietnam War. The novel takes the reader through many twists and turns as many of the soldiers in Alpha company die, and we are given vivid detail about the horrors that were faced.

HRLLP Connection � � Ch 1 - The quest varies from chapter to chapter Ch 10 - The rain in Kiowa’s death scene symbolizes depression as they sink in the sludge Ch 11 - The novel is full of violence, and can be seen in all chapters Ch 12 - When Kiowa dies, the “shit field” that they are in can represent depression as it pulls the soldiers in

Diction Analysis � Throughout the novel, O’Brien uses colloquial diction, and profanity is often seen when describing key events in the novel. His use of ordinary words allows the reader to better connect with the characters on an emotional level. The profanity gives the reader a harsh feeling, which comes back to the hellish feeling of the war.

Character Analysis � Tim O’Brien- is both the narrator and protagonist of The Things They Carried. The work recounts his personal experience in the Vietnam War and allows him to comment on the war. O’Brien weaves a prominent thread of memory through the work, he leaves the war a guilt-ridden middle-aged man who tells stories about Vietnam in order to cope with his painful memories.

Character Analysis � � Jimmy Cross’s character represents the profound effects responsibility has on those who are too immature to handle it. Cross’s guilt is palpable every time one of his men dies, but it is most acute in the case of Ted Lavender. He doesn’t care about the war and has no desire to be in it. Kiowa symbolizes the wastefulness of war. He is O'Brien's closest friend in Vietnam and is killed in battle when he drowns in a field during a flood. He always keeps a New Testament with him.

Character Analysis � � � Curt Lemon represents an outdated model of masculine heroism. He is brave and fearless to a fault, known in Alpha Company for pulling crazy stunts just for the attention and the thrill of danger. Norman Bowker embodies the effect known as "survivor guilt. " He cannot forgive himself for outliving his friends who died in battle. Rat Kiley is the medic of Alpha Company, Rat represents the allure and the danger of storytelling.

Character Analysis � � � Azar is foot soldier in Alpha Company, Azar is the wild man who enjoys war. He makes jokes about death, even the death of Kiowa. Dobbins is a foot soldier in Alpha Company who symbolizes "America itself, big and strong…slow of foot but always plodding along. " He is a large man with a soft heart who feels sympathy for others and anger against unwarranted cruelty. Mitchell Sanders is the radio officer of Alpha Company, he is the voice of soldierly experience and practical wisdom.

Tone Analysis � While O'Brien's tone in regards to the war jumps around from emotional to clinical to manipulative to epic, his tone in regards to storytelling and the truth is constant. He is familiar to his subject. We never doubt we know what he is doing, and the important purpose he is doing it. He tells his stories with complete confidence.

Structure and Form Analysis � Tim O'Brien crafts an artfully unique story in The Things They Carried, he presents a certain style as the author Tim O'Brien, and he presents another as his fictional characterization, also named "Tim O'Brien. " This decisive and ingenious creation brings about an interesting tension between what is true and what is not quite true and produces a sense of distrust in the author.

Structure and Form Analysis � � O'Brien's style is one marked by examining an event from a distance, either spatially or temporally, and the creation of "O'Brien" allows for this distance. The novel has meta-textuality. This refers to art that comments on its own process or purpose, and the "O'Brien" character practices this as well. O'Brien frequently challenges readers to believe or disbelieve aspects of his stories and blurs the boundaries between fiction and truth.

Important Quotes � � “They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor. They died so as not to die of embarrassment. ” I’d come to this war a quiet, thoughtful sort of person, a college grad, Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude, all the credentials, but after seven months in the bush I realized that those high, civilized trappings had somehow been crushed under the weight of the simple daily realities. I’d turned mean inside.

Important Quotes � � “If a story seems moral, do not believe it. If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie. ” “By telling stories, you objectify your own experience. You separate it from yourself. You pin down certain truths. You make up others. ”

Theme � The theme is actually the “things they carried” of the title that O’Brien’s characters carry are both literal and figurative. While they all carry heavy physical loads, they also all carry heavy emotional loads, composed of grief, terror, love, and longing. Each man’s physical burden underscores his emotional burden.

MOWAW � The meaning of the work as a whole is the problems to which each soldier had to possess during the agonizing war causing each soldier to react in different behaviors.

Would you Recommend? � No, unless someone was really interested in war type of books. There are no miracles in this book causing it to seem so harsh. Each chapter is about life inside the Vietnamese War where life is unforgiving and hope is few. Though fiction, this book shows the burdens of men who must fight for their lives, in a world of death. This book, no matter how gruesome or shocking, could not be put down for it truly is a genre of it's own.