Tim O'Brien
Where does he bring his daughter?
Vietnam
Norman Bowker feels like _____ when he comes home.
he has no purpose
What motif represents the individual personalities, characteristics and outlook of war of each character?
Backpack/The Things They Carried
What is ironic about Curt Lemon’s death?
Curt Lemon was so hellbent on coming off as “tough” and “brave” that it gets him killed when he plays with a grenade.
Is O’Briens diction when he talked to the audience as a narrator defined as informal and connotative, or formal and precise?
Informal and connotative
Describing war to someone is like trying to describe the taste of...
Chocolate
What did Bowker need after returning home?
A way to vent about his experiences and guilt
Ted Lavender carried ___ in his backpack, representing ______.
tranquilizers; his fear of death
What is the situational irony seen with the intense actions of Rat Kiley?
The story allegedly did not happen as he has just described them, but rather they happened in an entirely different way to other people. But he insists that the story is true. This is ironic because it cannot be fake and real when referring to the same fact.
What type of diction would you use to describe the following encounter between soldiers: “So what’d this crud job pay?”
This is informal diction that uses bad grammar and incorrect contractions.
What is O'Brien's summer job before the war?
He works in a meat-packing factory.
What is the request Bowker makes?
To write a story about how people are truly affected by war
What is one example of how water was used as a motif in the book?
The sea at the beginning of the book, Norman Bowker’s death
What is ironic about the fear Lemon holds and the way he dies?
Shortly after Lemon faces his fear of the dentist, a grenade kills him.
What is the fundamental distinction between O’Briens voice, and the way he portrayed the soldiers?
The fundamental distinction between the two is the type of diction; O’Brien’s narration is colloquial and sometimes elevated diction, while the dialogue between the soldiers is low, informal, and filled with slang and crudeness.
Who is the medic when O'Brien first gets shot?
Rat Kiley
What does the lake road represent?
Boundary between affluent and most affluent
What is the symbolism within the scene where O’Brien escapes to a body of water in Canada: what does this body of water symbolize?
It symbolizes the opportunity to get away from his fate.
What is ironic about O’Brien and the distance from the story?
Through lines like “almost everything is true, almost nothing is true” he allows for him to be involved in the story as a character and detached from the emotions as the narrator.
What is a specific way that Rat Kiley talks that differs from other characters in the story? What does this say about the character?
He curses more. “Jesus Christ, man, I write this beautiful f**kin’ letter.” This shows that he is aggressive and speaks with little thought of censoring himself.
Is O'Brien a reliable narrator or not? Explain why.
He is not a reliable narrator because he constantly questions the line between fact and fiction during his novel, stating that there is no real war story.
How long was the loop around the lake?
7 miles
What theme is exemplified by the following examples:
The backpacks the soldiers carry
Henry Dobbins carrying his girlfriend’s pantyhose
Jimmy Cross carrying compasses and maps
Norman Bowker driving aimlessly around his hometown lake and writing a 17 page letter to O’Brien
These all exemplify the theme of physical & emotional burdens. The backpacks they carry are examples of their physical loads. Expanding on the emotional load, Henry Dobbins carries his girlfriend's pantyhose, as well as the desire for affection and comfort that comes with them. Jimmy Cross, meanwhile, carries compasses and maps, as well as the responsibility for the soldiers under his command. Norman Bowker's sadness and confusion are so intense that he drives aimlessly around his local lake, writes a seventeen-page letter to O'Brien detailing how he never felt right after the war, then hangs himself in a YMCA, exemplifying the psychological burden.
What is the verbal irony seen in the chapter titles that align with one another?
The chapter is opposite of what the title states, so O’Brien “lies” or uses verbal irony to deceive the reader. For example, the friends chapter is about enemies, and the enemies chapter is about friends.
Why would O’Brien use low diction when referring to Rat Kiley, and building his character image?
O’Brien may have used this type of diction to convey his point and characterize Rat as the unkempt vagabond that he is. Words like “really badass” and clichés like “in a million years” cause the reader to have a less scholarly mindset and see Rat’s characteristics