Characters
The author of The Things They Carried, drafted into the Vietnam War, has written eight short stories about his experiences.
Who is Tim O'Brien?
A deeply conflicting decision influenced by shame and guilt.
What is Tim's decision to go to war?
The main setting that represents change and mystery.
What is the Vietnam jungle?
The fear of this followed soldiers everywhere they went.
What is death?
The Things They carried blurs the line between this and reality.
What is fiction?
The commander who blamed himself for the people who died in his squad while distracted by thoughts of home.
Who is Lieutenant Jimmy Cross?
Chapter where Lt. Jimmy Cross decides to give up his past and focus on the war because of guilt for losing a soldier.
What is the first chapter, The Things They Carried?
The soldiers returned here after the war.
What is the United States?
An emotion felt by many soldiers after the death of their fellow soldiers.
What is grief?
Tim O'Brien shifts to this time period in-between stories of war.
What is the present?
The soldier who had trouble adjusting to being home and drove around in circles trying to pass the time.
Who is Norman Bowker?
The chapter featuring Kiowa's death that demonstrates the tragedy and the struggle of war.
What is the chapter titled In The Field?
This character symbolizes acceptance for the soldiers and is seen as God-like.
Who is Elroy Berdahl?
This is a more specific type of remorse felt by those who live after a tragedy such as war.
What is survivor's grief?
The year that the book was released.
What is 1990?
The Native American soldier who carried a bible.
Who is Kiowa?
The chapter featuring Tim's decision to join the war instead of escaping the draft.
What is the chapter titled On A Rainy River?
Norman Bowker drives around this natural formation.
What is a lake?
The emotion that is considered the driving force for many soldier's actions during the war.
What is shame?
The main purpose of this book is to share this about war.
What is brutality?
The man who gave Tim shelter and was influential in his decision to go to war.
Who is Elroy Berdahl?
The chapter where Norman Bowker struggles to cope with the effects of being in the Vietnam War.
What is the chapter titled Speaking of Courage?
This character represents the audience throughout the book.
Who is Kathleen O'Brien?
This emotion crept into every aspect of soldier's lives driving some soldiers to insanity.
What is fear?
The rare tactic creates a depth of biased storytelling by reflecting on past stories and their validity.
What is breaking the fourth wall?