Symbolism & Characters
What do Henry Dobbins’ stockings symbolize for him?
Answer: Comfort, superstition, protection.
What is the difference between “story truth” and “happening truth”?
Answer: Happening truth = literal events; story truth = emotional reality.
How is Mary Anne’s arrival in Vietnam different from a USO visit?
Answer: She comes as a girlfriend seeking personal connection, not organized entertainment.
What does the USO stand for, and what was its role?
Answer: United Service Organizations; provided entertainment for soldiers.
Why does O’Brien compare Henry Dobbins to America?
Answer: Like Dobbins, America is strong and well-meaning, but simplistic and sentimental.
Why does O’Brien say a true war story is “never moral”?
Answer: Because war is messy, confusing, and resists neat lessons.
Why does Dobbins threaten Azar when he mocks the dancing girl?
Answer: To show that even in war, respect for suffering matters.
In “The Dentist,” why does Curt Lemon demand a healthy tooth pulled?
Answer: To prove his courage after fainting earlier.
How does Mary Anne Bell’s transformation symbolize the effect of war?
Answer: She shifts from innocence/civilization to savagery, showing how war consumes and changes identity.
Why might emotional truth be more powerful than factual truth?
Answer: Feelings can capture the real impact of an event better than facts alone.
What is ironic about the soldiers’ morality in the chapter "Style" when the girl's entire family is dead and badly burned but Henry Dobbins criticizes Azar for his dancing?
Answer: They can commit violence but still feel moral outrage at cruelty.
Why might the most unbelievable war stories be the truest?
Answer: Because war defies logic; unbelievable stories capture its reality.