What did the soldiers carried in The Things They Carried?

The narrator, Tim O’Brien, describes the things all the men of the company carry. They are things in the most physical sense—mosquito repellent and marijuana, pocket knives and chewing gum.

What does O’Brien carry in The Things They Carried?

O’BRIEN: Well, I carry the memories or the ghosts of a place called Vietnam, the people of Vietnam, my fellow soldiers. More importantly, I guess, I carry the weight of responsibility and a sense of abiding guilt.

How does The Things They Carried relate to the Vietnam War?

The Things They Carried is a powerful meditation on the experiences of foot soldiers in Vietnam and after the war. The work is simultaneously a war autobiography, writer’s memoir, and group of fictional short stories.

What are things we carried about?

The Things They Carried (1990) is a collection of linked short stories by American novelist Tim O’Brien, about a platoon of American soldiers fighting on the ground in the Vietnam War. His third book about the war, it is based upon his experiences as a soldier in the 23rd Infantry Division.

Why is The Things They Carried called?

So the initial short story introduces the idea of soldiers carrying things both physical and intangible, and O’Brien carries that idea forward throughout the remainder of the book. So the title quite properly labels the book: It’s a whole piece about all the things soldiers carried.

What did Jimmy Cross carry in his rucksack?

First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey. They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them folded in plastic at the bottom of his rucksack.

What did Kiowa carry?

In life, Kiowa is diligent and honest, introspective and compassionate. He is practical, carrying moccasins in order to be able to walk silently and helping his fellow soldiers to rationalize their own unfortunate actions, especially O’Brien’s killing of a young Vietnamese soldier.

Is anything in The Things They Carried true?

By establishing that the novel is a “work of fiction” as he notes on the title page of the story, Tim O’Brien clearly wants readers to understand that while the book may be inspired by his experiences in Vietnam, it is not a memoir of his time there. Many events in the novel did not really happen.

What items did Ted Lavender carry?

Alive, Lavender is simply a young, scared soldier. He carries marijuana, tranquilizers, and extra ammo to ease his nerves.

What did a soldier carry in Vietnam?

Like other Soldiers, however, medics would be issued a steel helmet, chemical mask, and other personal equipment. During the Vietnam War, Soldiers were issued a semiautomatic rifle with automatic capability and up to 20 magazines of 20 rounds each along with fragmentation and colored smoke grenades.

Why did Tim O’Brien go to Vietnam?

Tim O’Brien decides to go to Vietnam because he couldn’t find the resolve not to or, in his own words, because he “was embarrassed not to.” In “On the Rainy River,” O’Brien contemplates running away to Canada after he is drafted.

What was the real purpose of the Vietnam War?

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien | The Things They …

What items did Lee Strunk carry?

Kiowa always took along his New Testament and a pair of moc- casins for silence. Dave Jensen carried night-sight vitamins high in caro- tene. Lee Strunk carried his slingshot; ammo, he claimed, would never be a problem. Rat Kiley carried brandy and M&M’s candy.

What did Lee Strunk carry?

Answer and Explanation: Lee Strunk is distinguished from the other men in his platoon by carrying a slingshot as his “weapon of last resort.” The objects the men carry vary depending on rank and function, mission, and personality.

How did soldiers feel in The Things They Carried?

Soldiers felt obligated to go to war for fear of embarrassing themselves, their families, and their towns if they fled. This embarrassment is bolstered by the guilt of not being “masculine” enough—not being brave, heroic, and patriotic enough.

What is a soldier’s greatest fear in The Things They Carried?

They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to.”

What was the main ghost in Vietnam The Things They Carried?

To the soldiers, the scariest ghost of all is “Charlie Cong,” a pejorative for the enemy soldiers of the Viet Cong who lurk in the shadows, attack at night, and don’t seem to be bound by the laws of physics.

What was R and R in Vietnam?

R & R, or ‘rest and recreation‘, gave soldiers serving in Vietnam a brief respite from the war. United States servicemen on a twelve-month tour of duty were given seven days R & R outside Vietnam. In the early part of the war they could spend this time in one of several Asian cities or Hawaii.