Discussion questions – The Things They Carried: Chapter 11-15

Chapter 11-15:
Discussions Questions:
1.The soldiers have a variety of opinions on whether they should be staying with the monks in the story “Church”. Which opinion resonates with your own understanding of the situation?

2.Think about how the narrator presents the man he kills. What stuck out to you about his description of the man? Why do you think it was important to the narrator to try to understand who the man was?

3.Do you think that Norman Bowker’s assessment of his own courage is correct? Why do you think he is having imaginary conversations with his father and Sally about the incident with Kiowa?

4.Think about the Vietnamese girl who dances after her family has died. Why do you think she is dancing?

5.Why does the narrator lie to his daughter about killing a man? Do you think you would have acted the same way in his situation? Why or why not?