The Things They Carried – Packet Questions and Chart Info – Flashcards
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Why did the men hate searching tunnels?
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They found themselves worrying about odd things, like if their flashlights would go dead or if rats carried rabies or if they screamed if they buddies could hear it, and if they could, if they would have the courage to find you.
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How did Ted Lavender die?
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He was shot in the head on the way back from peeing.
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Why did Lieutenant Jimmy Cross feel guilty about Ted Lavender's death?
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He was not paying attention and was thinking about Martha instead.
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What did Cross lead his men to do after Lavender's death?
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Cross crying lead to the men smoking Lavender's dope and talking him.
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What vow did Cross make after Lavender's death?
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He vowed to become more serious and become a better leader, not tolerating laxity and showing more strength.
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What did Cross carry after the war physically and emotionally?
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physically - he burned the pictures of Martha. emotionally - Guilt over Lavender's death and hatred for Martha
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What conclusion can be made regarding Martha from when Cross visits her in 1979?
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She most likely was a victim of sexual assault and would never be with Cross in that way, as shown by her emptiness and awkwardness (crossing her arms, "Why do men do these things?"
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What is the significance of: "And do me a favor. Don't mention anything about -" "No," I said, "I won't"
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This is significant because O'Brien knows Cross and his guilty feelings enough to know what he is referring to. The reader does not know whether this refers to Cross wanting to tie Martha to the bed or an event not mentioned.
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What was the average age of the soldiers in the narrator's platoon?
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19 or 20
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Why did O'Brien enjoy the ritual of watching Bowker and Dobbins play checkers?
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He found it restful and reassuring. He could see what both sides were doing, how it was playing out, what the score was, where each side stood.
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Why did the platoon love the old "poppa-san"? (Chapter 3, "Spin")
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They followed him to avoid stepping on Bouncing Betties and Toe Poppers and no one got hurt for the five days they followed him.
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How old was O'Brien when he wrote The Things They Carried?
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43
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What does O'Brien say the role of stories is?
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"Stories are for joining the past to the future, for those late hours in the night when you can't remember how you got from where you were to where you are, for eternity, where memory is erased, where there is nothing to remember except the story."
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What year did O'Brien receive his draft notice?
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1968, June 17, a month after graduating from Macalester College
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Why does O'Brien experience moral confusion after receiving his draft notice?
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He was politically naive, but the War still seemed wrong to him. He didn't want to fight in a war that he did not know not much about, especially since he was leaning toward opposition toward it.
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After receiving his draft notice, the narrator experienced a variety of emotions. List these emotions. What effect did they have on him and what did they cause him to do?
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shock, rage, self-pity, numbness, confusion, terror, sadness He drives to the Rainy River on the border between Minnesota and Canada where he works at Tip Top Lodge for Elroy for a few days. On the River, he has an emotional breakdown as he decides to go to war in fear of looking cowardly rather than fleeing to Canada, which he is very close to.
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O'Brien's moral confusion parallels the moral confusion of Vietnam for who/what else?
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The country as a whole felt this moral confusion. Americans had many questions about the War.
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Why was there a waiting list to join the National Guard and Army Reserves?
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So many people had joined them because they knew that they could avoid going to Vietnam as those branches were not being sent there.
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What is O'Brien's view of blind patriotism?
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O'Brien says that he would have willingly gone to war in such circumstances as stopping Hitler, but he believes that Americans need to evaluate the war or situation before supporting it.
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Why did O'Brien leave work in the middle of a shift and drive North?
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He had no plan but was gravitating toward fleeing to Canada.
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After his time with Elroy, O'Brien comes to an agonizing decision. Explain his decision and the reasons behind it.
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He decides to go to war in fear of looking cowardly and having to remain in Canada for life.
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Why is Elroy "the hero" of O'Brien's life?
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Elroy helps O'Brien come to a decision without trying to force him one way or the other and appears not to judge him.
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Why did O'Brien believe it was cowardly do go to Vietnam rather than Canada?
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He risked his life for a cause he didn't believe in in fear of looking like a coward to his community.
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What conflict arose between Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk and how did Jensen react to this conflict emotionally?
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Jensen though Strunk stole his jackknife. Jensen broke Strunk's nose, but then he started to worry about retaliation form Strunk.
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Why did Jensen break his own nose?
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He wanted to be even with Strunk so he no longer had to worry about retaliation from him and he wanted to end the silent tension between them.
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Why did Strunk think it was funny that Jensen broke his own nose?
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Strunk did steal his jackknife.
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What pact did Jensen and Strunk make?
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If one had a wheelchair wound the other would kill him or would not try to save him.
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What happened to Strunk?
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He stepped on a rigged mortar round that took off his right led at the knee. He died in a helicopter.
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Why was Jensen relieved of "an enormous" weight" when he learned that Strunk had died?
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Jensen did not have to face Strunk again, a situation he feared knowing that he broke the vow.
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What does Tim O'Brien believe about true war stories?
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A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models or proper human behavior, not restrain men from doing the things men have always done. A true war story has evil or embarrasses you. It cannot be believed. The crazy stuff is what's true. A true war story never seems to end. They do not generalize or indulge in abstraction or analysis. It makes the stomach believe.
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Why is Rat Kiley upset with the sister of one of his friends?
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He wrote a heartfelt letter to her about his friend Curt Lemon after his death and waited 2 months but she never replied.
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What happened to Curt Lemon?
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He and Rat Kiley were playing catch with smoke grenades and trying not to chicken out. Lemon set off a detonator and was blown into a tree and killed instantly.
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Why did Rat Kiley torture the baby water buffalo?
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He needed to let his rage and emotions out after Curt Lemon's death.
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Why is O'Brien angry when he tells the story and the listener feels sorry for the water buffalo?
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The story is not about the water buffalo, but about the emotions that Rat Kiley felt.
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Explain how, according to the narrator, war can be both ugly and beautiful.
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"For all its horror, you can't below but gape at the awful majesty of combat." - war is gruesome, but also stunning in scale and capability
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Why did Curt Lemon want his tooth pulled?
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The first time he went to the dentist in Vietnam he fainted before the dentist touched him because all dentists creeped him out. He wanted to prove to the guys and to himself that he wasn't scared of the dentist.
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How old was Mary Anne when she arrived in Vietnam?
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17
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Describe Mary Anne Bell physically and in personality when she arrived in Vietnam.
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blond, wearing white culottes and a pink sweater, clean, kind, excited, curious
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Describe the early changes that take place with Mary Anne Bell.
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She begins to slack on hygiene. She cuts her hair short and has it wrapped in a dark green bandanna. She no longer wears makeup or files her nails.
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Where did Mary Anne go when she went missing for a night the first time?
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with the Green Berets
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What went on between Mark Fossie and Mary Anne for the first 3 weeks after her "night out?"
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Fossie tried to lay down the law with Mary Anne.
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How long was Mary Anne gone the second time she went missing?
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3 weeks
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Who did Mary Anne live with after returning to camp?
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the Green Berets
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What did Mark Fossie, Rat Kiley, and Eddie Diamond find when they entered the Green Beret's hootch to check on Mary Anne.
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stacks of bones, Mary Anne wearing a necklace made of human tongues
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How does Mary Anne's story end?
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One morning, she walked into the mountains and did not comeback. No body or equipment was ever found.
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Why did Henry Dobbins continue to carry his girlfriend's stockings even after she broke up with him?
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He believed the magic doesn't disappear.
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What turned the men into a "platoon of believers?"
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In August, Dobbins tripped a Bouncing Betty, which failed to detonate. A week later he got caught in the open during a firefight without a cover and was not injured (he was wearing the stockings).
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Describe the interactions between O'Brien's platoon and the monks.
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The platoon set up in the pagoda. The monks loved Dobbins. They cleaned his machine guns and provided a chair for Cross and presented the platoon with 4 ripe watermelons.
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What was Kiowa's reaction to setting up camp in a pagoda? Why was this his reaction?
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He wanted to move somewhere else because he felt it was wrong to set up for war in a place that is sacred to some.
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Why did being a monk appeal to Dobbins?
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He would have been good at being nice to people.
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Describe the man that O'Brien shot.
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jaw in his throat, one eye shut, one eye a star shaped hole, young, dainty, bony
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How did Tim O'Brien react to the fact that he killed another human being?
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He went into shock and Kiowa tried to get him out of it and tell him that he would either have been killed anyway or would have tried to attack the platoon.
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What question did O'Brien's daughter ask and what was his answer?
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Kathleen asked if he ever killed anyone and O'Brien said no.
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Why did O'Brien throw a grenade toward the Vietnamese soldier on the trail?
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He did it on instinct, without thinking.
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Why did Dobbins get angry with Azar? (Chapter 14 "Style")
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He mocked the girls dancing with "an erotic thing with his hips."
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What are Dobbins' major character traits?
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kindhearted, strong, knows right from wrong, not sophisticated, good intentioned, drawn toward sentimentality
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Where is Norman Bowker driving in "Speaking of Courage"?
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Around the lake in his town, 12 times
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How many medals did Bowker win in the war?
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7
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What medal didn't Bowker win?
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the Silver Star
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While driving who does Bowker imagine telling the story of Kiowa's death to?
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his father, workers, restaurant employee
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What happened to Kiowa? (Chapter 15, "Speaking of Courage")
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He sunk into the field and Norman could not hang onto his boot.
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Why did Bowker feel guilty about Kiowa?
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He let him sink into the field and die.
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Why does Bowker still lament not winning a Silver Star?
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He fixates on failing to get the award rather that failing to save Kiowa.
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How does "Speaking of Courage" end?
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Bowker walks into the lake and watches the fireworks.
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The chapter "Speaking of Courage" is not a story about being at war but a story about ______________________."
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the effects of War on a returning soldier
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O'Brien says "Speaking of Courage" was written in 1975 at the suggestion of Bowker. What happened to Bowker three years later in 1978?
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he committed suicide - he hung himself from a water pipe at the Y with a jump rope
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What historical event occurred in 1975?
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Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese
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What was contained in Bowker's letter to O'Brien in 1975 about himself and O'Brien's book If I Die in a Combat Zone?
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He said to write a story about a guy who feels horrible and lost after the war involving the story about Kiowa sinking.
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What does O'Brien say about his own transition from war to peace?
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He didn't realize that by writing he had been able to face what had occurred in Vietnam.
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What was Bowker's reaction to the first version of "Speaking of Courage?"
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He said it was good but wondered where the real raw information was regarding Kiowa's death.
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Why does Jimmy Cross blame himself for Kiowa's death?
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He could have used field discretion to move to a higher area, especially after being warned by natives and Sanders. Moving to higher ground was his first instinct.
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Why is Sanders angry with Cross regarding Kiowa's death?
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He warned Cross and told him that they needed to move to higher ground.
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Why is Bowker defensive of Cross regarding Kiowa's death?
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He said it was no one's fault because no one could have known that would happen.
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What issues is Cross struggling with when writing a letter to Kiowa's family?
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He struggles with whether or not to blame himself in the letter or to write a standard letter rather than an emotional one
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What was in Kiowa's rucksack when it was found?
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mocassins, illustrated New Testament
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Why did the "boy" think he was responsible for Kiowa's death?
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He turned on a flashlight to show Kiowa a picture of Billie and the flashlight revealed their location.
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"It's time to be blunt" - what is O'Brien being blunt about in chapter 18, "Good Form?"
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Most of his stories are inventions.
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Explain O'Brien's view of "story truth" and "happening truth."
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happening truth is more general, and story truth is detailed, and those details may be made up to create the story
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In a book store or library what section would you find The Things They Carried?
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fiction (I think? It doesn't exactly say.)
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What is written on the Dedication Page of The Things They Carried?
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This book is lovingly dedicated to the men of Alpha Company, and in particular to Jimmy Cross, Norman Bowker, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Henry Dobbins, and Kiowa.
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Who is The Things They Carried truly dedicated to?
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All Vietnam veterans? I'm not sure.
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For Tim, when returning to Vietnam long after the war was over, what was the symbolism of the field where Kiowa died?
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He felt that this field and the memory of it and Kiowa's death had kept him from living his life.
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When Tim returned to Vietnam 20 years after the war, who and what did he bring with him?
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Kiowa's moccasins and his daughter Kathleen
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What did O'Brien do in Vietnam that most surprised his daughter and what was the significance of this action?
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He stripped and went into the water. He went to place Kiowa's moccasins where he was found.
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Why did Tim O'Brien want revenge against Bobby Jorgensen?
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Jorgensen had been too afraid to immediately try to save O'Brien after he was shot and didn't know to treat him for shock. His injuries would have been less severe if Rat Kiley was still the medic.
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How does Tim say he changed during the war?
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He has become more resentful.
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Describe Tim's plan to get revenge against Jorgensen.
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He sets off flares and moves a sandbag to put Jorgensen into shock.
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Why did Sanders refuse to help O'Brien get back at Jorgensen?
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He is okay with Jorgensen and believes that he is more part of the group that O'Brien is now.
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Who helped O'Brien get revenge on Jorgensen?
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Azar
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How did Tim feel about his own anger during chapter 20, "The Ghost Soldiers?"
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He felt guilty about how angry he felt and how he acted on his anger.
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Describe the "night life."
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The platoon sleeps during the day and walks through the pitch black night. If they blink they can't tell. Some use night-sight vitamins (Jensen), NoDoz (Cross), or a safety line between two (Dobbins and Bowker).
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Describe Rat Kiley's last days in Vietnam.
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He went crazy. At first he was silent but then he couldn't stop talking. He began to fear bugs and thought that they were calling his name. He began to see body parts and his friends dead.
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How did Rat Kiley get out of active duty in Vietnam?
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He shot himself in the foot.
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What did Jimmy Cross promise Rat Kiley before the helicopter took Rat away?
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He would lie and say it was an accident.
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Why does O'Brien say at the start of chapter 22 "The Lives of the Dead" that stories can save us?
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He keeps dreaming the dead alive.
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What was O'Brien "scared to do" after the air strike on the "filthy little village" in 1969?
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He didn't want to shake the dead guy's hand.
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Who was Linda and what happened to her?
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O'Brien loved her when they were 9 but she died of a brain tumor.
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According to O'Brien what was the role of stories in Vietnam and after?
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He could make the dead seem less dead.
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What did all of the soldiers carry emotionally?
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ghosts, emotional baggage of men who might die, cowardice, quick instincts, reputations, fear of blushing, responsibility for all of them
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What physical items did Jimmy Cross carry?
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letters from Martha, 2 photos of her, a pebble from her, compass, maps, code books, binoculars, 45 caliber pistol, strobe light
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What emotional things did Cross carry?
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love for Martha, responsibility for the lives of his men
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What physical things did Henry Dobbins carry?
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extra rations (canned peaches in heavy syrup over pound cake [now I'm hungry]), girlfriend's pantyhose, Black Flag insecticide, M-60, 10-15 lbs ammuntion
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What emotional things did Dobbins carry?
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toughness, kindheartedness
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What physical things did Dave Jensen carry?
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toothbrush, dental floss, empty sandbags, hotel soap, 3 pairs of socks, Dr. Scholl's foot powder, night-sight vitamins, earplugs, rabbit's food (his talisman)
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What emotional things did Jensen carry?
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Obsession over hygiene
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What physical things did Ted Lavender carry?
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tranquilizers, 6-7 oz premium dope, starlight scope, 34 rounds of ammunition
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What emotional things did Ted Lavender carry?
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fear of being attacked, fear in general
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What physical things did Mitchell Sanders carry?
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condoms, brass knuckles, starched tiger fatigues, PRC-25 radio
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What emotional things did Mitchell Sanders carry?
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toughness
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What physical things did Norman Bowker carry?
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diary, thumb
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What emotional things did Norman Bowker carry?
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emotionalness, gentleness
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What physical things did Rat Kiley carry?
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comic books, brandy, canvas satchel holding morphine, plasma, malaria tablets, surgical tape, M&Ms (for medical purposes)
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What emotional things did Rat Kiley carry?
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preparedness, responsibility as the medic, childishness
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What physical things did Kiowa carry?
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illustrated New Testament from his father, grandfather's old hunting hatchet, pair of moccasins
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What emotional things did Kiowa carry?
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devout Baptist, grandmother's distrust of the white man, culture, wisdom
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What physical things did Lee Strunk carry?
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slingshot, tanning lotion
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What emotional things did Lee Strunk carry?
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lack of seriousness
