RE: O’Brien “The Things They Carried”, answer questions

There needs to be written answers to the following questions as journals. They can be written as small paragraphs or bigger paragraphs.

“How to Tell a True War Story”

List the narrator’s comments about what constitutes a true war story. What do you think these competing and contradictory ideas finally add up to?

“Ambush”

In this chapter, O’Brien says that he keeps writing war stories because he did kill someone in Vietnam. In what ways is the title “Ambush” significant?

“Speaking of Courage” and“Notes”

What is the effect of “notes,” in which O’Brien explains the story behind “Speaking of Courage”? Does your appreciation of the story change when you learn which parts are “true” and which are the author’s invention?

“In the Field”

O’Brien writes, “When a man died, there had to be blame.” What does this mandate do to the men of O’Brien’s company? Are they justified in thinking themselves at fault? How do they cope with their own feelings of culpability?

“The Lives of the Dead”

On the copyright page of one edition of the novel appears the following: “This is a work of fiction. Except for a few details regarding the author’s own life, all the incidents, names and characters are imaginary.” How does this statement affect your reading of the novel?

Add Comment
5 Answers

“In the Field”

O’Brien writes, “When a man died, there had to be blame.” What does this mandate do to the men of O’Brien’s company? Are they justified in thinking themselves at fault? How do they cope with their own feelings of culpability?

O’Brien’s statement that “When a man died, there had to be blame” is a clear reflection of human nature itself. As people, we usually don’t chalk things up to fate or some higher power. Humans search for the answers to everything and almost can’t accept things when there are no clear answers. This is why people always want to blame someone for something because they just want to be given a straight answer as to why something occurred. The quote mandates the men in O’Brien’s company to place blame in Kiowa’s death. Some look to themselves and some are more than willing to blame other people.

None  of men are justified in blaming themselves. War is war, mistakes are made and sometimes cannot be fixed easily, but none of these men directly caused Kiowa’s death. Mortar shells were what killed him, not any one of them. Due to this feeling of guilt, they all cope differently. Norman Bowker is forever changed by the event and cannot return to his normal pre-war life after it ends. Jimmy Cross considers writing t to Kiowa’s parents, he lets out all of his feelings about Kiowa in writing. He wants Kiowa’s family to know how great their son was and how proud they should be. He also demands that they find Kiowa’s body because it wouldn’t be right to leave him in that disgusting field. Mitchell Sanders copes by blaming someone else and then trying to talk about it with other people. These responses show that all humans react to grief differently, but to get over something traumatic, people have to find a way to cope.

Answered on 02.06.2017.
Add Comment

Your Answer

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.