The things they carried book summary. Summary and reviews of The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien 2022-10-13

The things they carried book summary Rating: 7,3/10 1834 reviews

"The Things They Carried" is a collection of short stories by Tim O'Brien, published in 1990. The book follows a group of soldiers who are fighting in the Vietnam War and the various physical and emotional burdens they carry with them during their time in combat.

One of the main themes of the book is the weight of fear and the different ways in which the soldiers cope with it. Many of the soldiers carry items that they believe will protect them or bring them luck, such as good luck charms or talismans. Others carry items that remind them of home, such as photographs or letters from loved ones.

One of the soldiers, Jimmy Cross, carries a photo of a girl he is in love with, Martha. He becomes obsessed with the idea of saving her from the horrors of the war and often daydreams about their future together. However, the weight of his obsession ultimately leads to the death of one of his fellow soldiers, Lavender.

Another soldier, Tim O'Brien, carries his own guilt and shame over his decision to flee to Canada rather than fight in the war. He struggles with the idea of cowardice and what it means to be brave. O'Brien eventually decides to return to Vietnam as a journalist, partly to confront his own demons and to bear witness to the experiences of the soldiers he fought alongside.

The soldiers also carry physical burdens, such as heavy packs filled with supplies and weapons. These items are necessary for their survival, but they also serve as a constant reminder of the dangers they face every day.

Throughout the book, O'Brien explores the concept of truth and how it is often subjective and fluid. He grapples with the idea of whether it is more important to tell the truth or to protect others from the pain of the truth.

In the end, the soldiers of "The Things They Carried" carry with them the weight of their experiences in the war, both good and bad. They carry the memories of their comrades and the loss they have suffered, as well as the fear and guilt they feel. These burdens are a part of who they are and will stay with them long after the war has ended.

Book Summary

the things they carried book summary

Lee Strunk, another member of the company, dies from injuries he sustains by stepping on a landmine. It is controlled and wild, deep and tough, perceptive and shrewd. He did not, for example, actually kill the young North Vietnamese soldier with the grenade. Henry Dobbins sewing on his buck-sergeant stripes. The girl continues to dance, and some of the soldiers wonder if her dance is some kind of ritual.

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The Things They Carried Spin Summary & Analysis

the things they carried book summary

Strunk and Jensen have become close friends and do everything together. . He says stories are for bringing the past into the future, when you can't remember how you got to where you are and memory is erased, all you have are stories. She closes her eyes and acts cold, and says she doesn't understand how men can do the things they do. He says the peace "felt so good it hurt. The Things They Carried depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and the character Tim O'Brien, who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of forty-three. A strongly unified book, a series of glimpses, through different facets, of a single, mysterious, deadly stone.

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The Things They Carried Notes Summary & Analysis

the things they carried book summary

The Things They Carried explores some key themes: The Trauma of War The men endure harrowing life-and-death experiences fighting in the jungles of Vietnam. Bowker says he would write the story, but he can't put into words the things he saw, especially Kiowa sinking dead into the mud. No The poor men and women who were involved and then vilified upon their return. How do you think. Gigi Can you ever forget? He spent mornings in bed and in the afternoons he went to the YMCA to play basketball. In the first case, he was saved by the platoon medic, Rat Kiley. The government that created the mess?.


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The Things They Carried: Book Summary

the things they carried book summary

However, he is extremely afraid of a certain army dentist. It was a mark of cowardice and shame for a young man to avoid the military if he was called upon to serve. But things go wrong when she loses interest in him and becomes infatuated with the war. If you had to go to war, what might you take with you? Bowker chastises himself for complaining too much because he doesn't hate anything more than a "whiner-vet. Yes they are true war stories. The nurse loves him, and he gets everything he wants.

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The Things They Carried Book Summary by Tim O'Brien

the things they carried book summary

. He recognizes the similarity of his ability to animate her in his mind and his writing about Vietnam, and realizes that he tells these stories to save his own life. Between its rhythmic brilliance and its exquisite rendering of memory. He even tells O'Brien that things from his letter can be used, but he requests that O'Brien change his name. Rather, they are stories whose embellishments and fantastical qualities convey to the reader the full scale of the horror and emotional trauma of war.


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Tim O’Brien "The Things They Carried" Summary and Plot Overview 🤓

the things they carried book summary

Eight months after Bowker sent his reaction to the story to O'Brien, he hanged himself. If that includes adding details that make the story more interesting, then go ahead and add them, but I think the storyteller must also be honest and let the reader know that there. Nobody else can make me feel, as his three Vietnam books have, what I imagine to have been the reality of that war. As a writer, O'Brien constantly analyzes and comments upon how stories are told and why they are told. He writes that many of these stories are false, or at least partially false.

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The Things They Carried Chapter Summaries

the things they carried book summary

Each story resonates with its predecessors, yet stands alone. They switch to gin is to make the conversation regarding painful memories more bearable. . . .

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Summary and reviews of The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

the things they carried book summary

He says that he felt "a certain smugness" after the war for how easy it was for him to transition back into normal life. Cross tells Martha that he loves her, but she keeps walking and doesn't answer. We see these men engage in shocking acts of cruelty toward Vietnamese soldiers, civilians, each other, and even themselves. We see how the high chance of sudden death makes life a cheap commodity for the soldiers. They bring the experience of Vietnam to life in a way that a straight retelling of the facts never could.

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The Things They Carried “The Things They Carried” Summary & Analysis

the things they carried book summary

This is a book that will stay with me. Dobbins soon convinces the others that it is magic as he used to survive dangerous shootings. He can bring the dead back to life. He didn't leave behind a suicide note. I have not finished it yet.

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