Transcript Brown - rosey17

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 longterm 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 "happeningtruth

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)