The Things They Carried - an initial study guide

As an introduction to Tim O'Brien and The Things They Carried, listen to a portion of his speech here: Tim O'Brien - speech for Arlington Reads on youtube. Skip the first 17 minutes of the speech and begin around minute 18. Listen carefully to what O'Brien has to say about the benefit of storytelling, the paradox of fiction being truer than "truth," how one event sparked his story "Ambush," and his thoughts on the elusive nature of truth.                                      

NOTE:  topics for the final exam will come from this study guide

Themes and Motifs in the Novel:

-- The Importance of Storytelling - Why do people tell stories? Why are stories important?   Look for stories that contain references to storytelling, including:

·       “The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”

·       “How to Tell a True War Story”**

·       “Spin,” especially the very last paragraph

·       “Good Form”

·       “Notes”

-- Paradox - How is it related to irony?  What aspects of the novel contain paradox?   Paradox – two things that are opposite that exist at the same time, though it would seem impossible; for example, from “How to Tell a True War Story,” the author writes: “ . . . in the end, of course, a true war story is never about war.” LOTS of examples of paradox in this story and others.

Irony – look for examples of irony of situation—in which the opposite happens to what is expected—example: in the opening story, Ted Lavender is killed suddenly, by a sniper, rather than Lee Strunk, who could have very well been killed as he searched the tunnels; Henry Dobbins, the largest man in the unit, who carries the heaviest guns, is referred to as “Soldier Jesus” by the monks, and would like a life of service or good works, would actually like to be a minister—that is BOTH irony AND paradox

-- Truth & Memory - What is the difference between story-truth and happening-truth? At least in this novel, which is more important? WHY?  How does storytelling connect truth and memory?                                                                                                                                                  

-- Shame/ --Guilt as a motivating force -- Find examples of how shame and guilt become motivating elements in the lives of some of the soldiers like: Tim O’Brien, Jimmy Cross, Norman Bowker

 Connect characters as they interact with each other—note how each man functions:

Kiowa – how does he interact with each of the following men? What does this tell you about Kiowa? (You might not “get” the other men from these stories, but you should be able to relate to Kiowa and his importance to these men and to Alpha Company.)

·       With Norman Bowker, in “The Things They Carried”
·       With Tim O’Brien in “The Man I Killed”
·       With Henry Dobbins in “Churches”

Rat Kiley –

·       With Mitch Sanders, in “The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” – pay close attention to their discussion of telling stories
·       With Curt Lemon in “How to Tell a True War Story” – what is Rat’s way of dealing with a friend’s sudden death? WHY? How is it comparable to the actions of Alpha Company

Norman Bowker--

·       Minor revelations of his character come in the stories “The Things They Carried” and “Spin”
·       Major revelations of his character come in “Speaking of Courage” and “Notes”

Tim O’Brien (note: he is a character in his own novel; as he said on the youtube video, he creates himself as a character, but the character’s experiences are based on true stories, but are not true in themselves)