1. In what sense does Jimmy love Martha? Why does he construct this elaborate (mostly fictional)

Transcription

1 American Literature The Things They Carried March 2012 "The Things They Carried" 1. In what sense does Jimmy love Martha? Why does he construct this elaborate (mostly fictional) relationship with her? Martha never mentions the war in her letters - what does she represent? 2. Explain what the author means about Martha s world when he writes, She belonged to another world, which was not quite real. 3. When does Jimmy think about Martha? Why is he thinking about her while one of his platoon members is in the tunnel? 4. Notice the passage about searching the tunnels the waiting [is] worse than the tunnel itself 5. What happens to Ted Lavender? In what sense is Ted Lavender's death Jimmy s fault? 6. "He was just a kid at war, in love." Why does Jimmy use this excuse? How does it excuse him of responsibility? Why do the soldiers tell jokes about the war, about killing? Why do the men use a hard vocabulary to contain the terrible softness? Why is it terrible to be internally soft? 7. Describe some of the things that the men carry, both the tangible and the intangible. What do these items reveal about each soldier? What is the purpose of listing the weight of the objects the men carried? What effect do the weights have on the reader? 8. If this is a story about sacrifice, what does Jimmy sacrifice, and why? 9. How has Jimmy changed by the end of the story? How will he be a different person from this point on? What has he learned about himself? What has he lost and what has he gained? 10. Will the war affect him in a different way now that he refuses to think about Martha? How? What did "Martha" save him from? 11. What are freedom birds? Why do the men feel guilty for dreaming about them? 12. Why does Jimmy burn Martha s letters and pictures? What does throwing away the good-luck pebble symbolize? "Love" 1. Notice the change in point-of-view why does the narration shift from 3 rd to 1 st person? 2. Jimmy Cross still blames himself for Ted Lavender s death why?

2 3. How does Jimmy Cross still feel about Martha? How does Martha feel about Jimmy Cross? How do you know? 4. What does Jimmy ask Tim to do/not do when he writes his story? Since the request is not revealed, does it matter? "Spin" 1. What do we learn about Azar s character? 2. Notice the reference to games war was like a ping-pong ball but NOT like a game of checkers? Why? 3. Why mention the age of the soldiers? 4. What does Norman Bowker wish for, more than anything? 5. How do the men cope with war? 6. Identify moments of beauty and/or serenity. 7. How is this story structured? Why all these short sections? According to Tim, what are stories for (four things)? Why do some memories stand out more than others? "On a Rainy River" 1. "This is one story I've never told before. Not to anyone"? What effect does this have on the reader? 2. Why does the Vietnam War seem morally wrong to Tim? 3. What are the emotions O Brien experiences after receiving his draft notice? Why does O'Brien relate his experience as a pig declotter? How does this information contribute to the story? Why go into such specific detail? What were Tim s options once he received his draft notice? 4. W Who did he hold responsible for his situation? Who did he think should go to war instead of him? 5. What is Elroy Berdahl's role in this story? Would this be a better or worse story if young Tim O'Brien simply headed off to Canada by himself, without meeting another person? 6. O'Brien almost jumps ship to Canada, but doesn't: "I did try. It just wasn't possible" (61). What has O'Brien learned about himself? What typical images of boyhood did Tim remember about himself while on the river

3 7. O Brien says I was a coward. I went to war. Why was it cowardly to go to war? Why does O Brien go to war? 8. What does Tim mean by "dominoes"? (hint: what was the "domino theory"?) "Enemies" and "Friends" 1. Who broke whose nose? What is the effect of the fight on Jensen? 2. What does Jensen finally do to resolve the conflict between them? Why? How do life and death situations affect issues of trust and friendship? 3. What is the pact that Dave Jensen & Lee Strunk make together? 4. Why was Jensen relieved of an enormous weight when he learned Strunk had died? 5. Comment on the titles of these stories and how they relate to war? "How to Tell a True War Story" 1. The story begins with the line: "This is true." How does that prepare the reader for the story? In what sense is "this" true? 2. O'Brien relates a number of episodes to the reader. What makes these episodes seem true? Or, to put it another way, how does O'Brien lull you into the belief that each of these episodes is true? 3. List four-five elements of a "true war story" (such as, "A true war story is never moral.") Why does O'Brien believe these elements are important to a "true" war story? 4. In what sense is a "true" war story actually true? That is, in O'Brien's terms, what is the relationship between historical truth and fictional truth? Do you agree with his assessment that fictional truth and historical truth do not need to be the same thing? 5. According to O'Brien, why are stories important? What do we need from stories--both reading them and telling them? 6. In a true war story, why is it hard to separate what happened and what seemed to happen? Why can a true war story not be believed? 7. What happened to Curt Lemon? What (maybe) really happened to the six-man patrol at the listening post? Compare the descriptions of Lemon s death (70, 83) which is more realistic? Why?

4 8. Is the baby water buffalo scene (85) more disturbing than the death of Dave Jensen (89)? Why does Rat Kiley kill the baby water buffalo? How do you explain Rat Kiley s cruelty to the baby buffalo and then cradling his rifle and crying as he walks away? Explain the complex emotions he experiences here. 9. Why does the woman cry over the buffalo but like the grenade story? What is the deeper meaning of his saying that she wasn t listening? 10. O'Brien explains that this story was "not a war story. It was a love story" (90). What does the narrator mean by saying that the story was a love story and that stories are never about war? In what sense is this a "love story"? Why? 11. Finally, O'Brien says "none of it happened. None of it. And even if it did happen, it didn't happen in the mountains, it happened in this little village on the Batangan Peninsula, and it was raining like crazy..." If O'Brien is not trying to communicate historical fact, what is he trying to communicate? Why change the details? What kind of truth is he trying to relate, and why is this truth set apart from historical truth? Is it OK that this "true" war story may or may not be entirely true? The Dentist 1. Why does Curt Lemon get his tooth pulled? How does this compare to a soldier s reason for doing things? "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" 1. In the first paragraph, O'Brien says, "I heard it from Rat Kiley, who swore up and down to its truth, although in the end, I'll admit, that doesn't amount to much of a warranty." How does O'Brien engage the reader in a story which he's already admitted is probably not "true"? How does this relate to his ideas for a "true war story"? 2. List the physical details used to show Mary Anne's change. (Think of her gestures, her clothes, her actions.) How does she change? Why? What did Mary Anne begin to do when casualties came in? Where had Mary Anne been the first time she stayed out all night? How did she change as a result of her conversation with Fossie the next morning? How did she respond to Fossie s arrangements

5 to send her home? What does Mary Anne tell Fossie about his presence in Vietnam? What does Mary Anne say she wants to wants to do with Vietnam? 3. Why does O'Brien keep stopping the story so that other characters can comment on it? How do these other conversations add to Mary Anne's story? 4. What happened to her was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it s never the same. Does it matter what happened to Mary Anne? Would this be a better story if we knew, precisely, what happened to her after she left camp? Or does this vague ending add to the story? Either way, why? 5. Is this a war story? 6. Who were the Greenies and what were they like? What is significant about Mary Anne s attachment to this particular group? 7. What does Rat say about "the girls back home"? What is the metaphor that Rat uses to explain Mary Anne s experience with Vietnam? Stockings 1. Explain the significance of the stockings. And the purpose of telling this story. "Church 1. What do the monks help Henry Dobbins do? 2. How does Kiowa feel about the soldiers camping at the temple? 3. Explain the relationship between religion/church and war and how reflects the relationship between America and VietNam. The Man I Killed" 1. Tim O'Brien begins "The Man I Killed" with the following description: "His jaw was in his throat, his upper lip and teeth were gone, his one eye was shut, his other eye was a star-shaped hole, his eyebrows were thin and arched like a woman's, his nose was undamaged, there was a slight tear at the lobe of one ear, his clean black hair was swept upward into a cowlick at the rear of the skull " Why does he start here? Why use these details?

6 2. "The Man I Killed" describes fairly intimate aspects of the dead man's life. "[From] his earliest boyhood the man I killed had listened to stories about the heroic Trung sisters and Tran Hung Dao's famous rout of the Mongols and Le Loi's final victory against the Chinese at Tot Dong. He had been taught that to defend the land was a man's highest duty and highest privilege. He accepted this Where do these details come from? How can Tim O'Brien know them? Why create a hypothetical biography? 3. Although he never speaks, O'Brien portrays himself as profoundly moved by this death: "Later Kiowa said, 'I'm serious. Nothing anybody could do. Come on, Tim, stop staring." Consider how the absence of words characterizes O'Brien's emotional state. "Ambush" 1. Tim O'Brien's daughter, Kathleen, asks if he ever killed a man: "'You keep writing these war stories, she said, 'so I guess you must've killed somebody.'" O'Brien relates two possible scenarios of the death described in "The Man I Killed" to explain, "This is why I keep writing war stories." Why does O'Brien keep writing war stories? What is this? Why is the death described differently? 2. O'Brien tells part of "The Man I Killed" story to his daughter. Consider that O'Brien might not actually have a daughter. If he doesn't have a daughter, what is she doing in this novel? "Style" 1. Why is the girl dancing? Why do the men try to dance like the girl? Why did she put her hands over her ears when the men went into the house? 2. What is this story about? Consider connection to Church. "Speaking of Courage" 1. Why is this story called "Speaking of Courage"? Assume the title does NOT hold any irony. In what sense does this story speak of courage? Or, why is the title ironic? 2. Describe the events surrounding Kiowa s death. Why does Norman blame himself for Kiowa s death? 3. Many men win medals for their bravery and others win medals for doing nothing Why does Norman Bowker still feel inadequate with seven medals? And why is Norman's father such a

7 presence in his mental life? Would it really change Norman's life if he had eight medals, the silver star, etc.? 4. What is the more difficult problem for Norman--the lack of the silver star or the death of Kiowa? Which does he consider more and why? 5. Like other male characters in this novel (Tim O'Brien, Jimmy Cross), Norman Bowker develops an active fantasy life. Why do the men develop these fantasy roles? What do they get from telling fantasy stories to themselves? 6. Why is Norman unable to relate to anyone at home? More importantly, why doesn't he even try? 7. Are bravery and courage correctly defined (147)? 8. Describe the area around the lake. List a few things Norman Bowker passes during his many laps around the lake. How do Norman s thoughts correspond with driving around the lake? 9. Norman does not stop to talk with Sally Gustafson because there was really nothing he could say to her. What does he mean by this? "Notes" 1. In "Notes," Tim O'Brien receives a letter from Norman Bowker - why does O'Brien choose to include excerpts of this seventeen-page letter? 2. Consider that the letter might be made-up, a work of fiction. Why include it? 3. O'Brien says, "You start sometimes with an incident that truly happened, like the night in the shit field, and you carry it forward by inventing incidents that did not in fact occur but that nonetheless help to clarify and explain it." What does this suggest about O'Brien's understanding of the way fiction relates to real life? 4. What killed Norman Bowker? What contributed to his loneliness? Why? "In the Field 1. Why do so many people feel guilty for Kiowa s death? Why doesn t Jimmy Cross tell the men how he feels about Kiowa s death and how he feels about his role in the group? 2. How did Lt. Cross feel about being a soldier? 3. What does the boy believe about his role in Kiowa's death? What did the boy try to do when he saw Kiowa in the mud? Does someone have to be blamed? Why?

8 "Good Form" 1. Reread "Good Form" (it's extremely short). O'Brien tells two more versions of "The Man I Killed" story. In the first, Tim simply sees a dead soldier, the one with the star-shaped hole in his cheek, laying at the side of the road. "I did not kill him." O'Brien admits "even that story is made up." In the second version, he explains that he merely saw many faceless, dead men. Where does truth reside? What is the connection between O'Brien's actual experiences and the events in this book? Why is O'Brien using lies to get at "the truth"? 2. Explain the difference between "story-truth" and "happening-truth." According to O'Brien, which one is "truer"? Field Trip 1. What was Tim looking for at the site of Kiowa's death? 2. What is as remote to Kathleen as "cavemen and dinosaurs"? 3. What had the little field embodied for Tim, for the last 20 years? What did Tim bring to the field to leave behind? What changes for Tim in the river? 4. Who might Kathleen symbolize? The Ghost Soldiers 1. What does Tim say you shouldn t have to feel about being wounded? 2. How did his feelings about his wound and his recovery affect his feelings about Jorgenson? 3. After his confrontation with Jorgenson, what does Tim feel has changed about himself after "seven months in the bush"? 4. What happens between Jorgenson and Tim afterwards? Night Life 1. What do the soldiers mean by "living the night life"? 2. Why does Rat Kiley shoot himself? Is he crazy? 3. Who does Tim get this story from? Does this change the impact and believability of the story?

9 The Lives of the Dead" 1. Reread the first paragraph of "The Lives of the Dead." How does O'Brien set us up to believe this story? What techniques does he use to convince us this story is "true"? In general, how are details used in this collection of stories in such a way their truth is hard to deny? 2. Why does O'Brien choose to include this story about a young girl, Linda? What does it accomplish? In many ways, this book is as much about stories, or the necessity of stories, as it is about the Vietnam War. According to O'Brien, what do stories accomplish? Why does he continue to tell stories about the Vietnam War, about Linda? 3. Reread the final two pages of the book. Consider what the young Tim O'Brien learns about storytelling from his experience with Linda. How does this knowledge prepare him not only for the war, but also to become a writer? Within the parameters of this story, how would you characterize Tim O'Brien's understanding of the purpose of fiction? How does fiction relate to life, that is, life in the journalistic or historic sense? 4. Would it change how you read this story, or this novel, if Linda never existed? Why? 5. The writer, Tim O'Brien, created a fictional main character, also called Tim O'Brien, to inhabit this novel. Why would the real Tim O'Brien do that? How would that strengthen a book about "truth"? 6. Finally, if O'Brien is trying to relate some essential details about emotional life--again, as opposed to historic life--is he successful in doing that? Is he justified in tinkering with the facts to get at some larger, story-truth?

10 SOLDIER S NAME TANGIBLE ITEMS THE SOLDIER CARRIES INTANGIBLE ITEMS THE SOLDIER CARRIES INFERENCES ABOUT SOLDIER S CHARACTER FROM THINGS HE CARRIES TED LAVENDER AZAR JIMMY CROSS HENRY DOBBINS DAVE JENSEN NORMAN BOWKER KIOWA MITCHELL SANDERS CURT LEMON RAT KILEY LEE STRUNK TIM O BRIEN BOBBY JORGENSON