Final Am.Lit The things They Carried

Who colonized Vietnam before the U.S.?

France

Who led the Democratic Republic of Vietnam?

Ho Chi Minh

What resolution allowed the U.S. to escalate the war?

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

What 1968 event changed public opinion of the war?

Tet Offensive

What happened at My Lai?

U.S. soldiers massacred hundreds of unarmed civilians

KIA

Killed In Action

AO

Area of Operation

M16

Standard military rifle

R&R

Rest and Relaxation

VC

Viet Cong soldiers fighting Americans

Tim O'Brien

Narrator; fictional version of the author

Kiowa

Native American soldier; O'Brien's closest friend

Lt. Jimmy Cross

Platoon leader who loves Martha

Rat Kiley

Company medic

Bobby Jorgenson

Medic who replaces Rat Kiley

Weight

Symbol of emotional burdens

Story truth vs. Happening truth

Emotional truth vs. factual truth

Storytelling

Way to cope, remember, and survive

Water in "Field Trip"

Represents healing and memory

Linda

O'Brien's childhood love; symbol of loss and memory

Narrator identity shifts

Blurs fiction and reality

Nonlinear structure

Mimics how memory works

What makes a true war story?

It's never about war; it's about love, sorrow, and truth

Why are deaths repeated?

To show lasting trauma and memory

Why are stories like "Love" and "TTTC" paired?

To deepen emotional understanding

How does the fictional disclaimer affect the reader?

Blurs truth and fiction, making emotion real

What is a "true war story" according to O'Brien?

A story that never happened but feels true

Why did O'Brien write the book?

To process grief and preserve emotional truth

CH. THE THING THEY CARRIED: First item mentioned ?

Lt. Cross's letters from Martha

CH. THE THING THEY CARRIED: What do the items reveal?

Fears, personalities, emotional weight

CH. THE THING THEY CARRIED: Meaning of "weight"?

Symbol of trauma and mental burden

CH. LOVE: What does Cross confess?

Still thinks of Martha, regrets leadership

CH. LOVE: Effect of first person shift?

More personal and emotional

CH. SPIN: Why short fragments?

Reflect memory's randomness

CH. SPIN: Role of storytelling?

To make sense of pain and chaos

CH. ON THE RAINY RIVER: Why ashamed?

Didn't flee to Canada; feels like a coward

CH. ON THE RAINY RIVER: Elroy Berdahl's role?

Silent guide, lets O'Brien choose

CH. ENEMIES & FRIENDS: What happens between Jensen and Strunk?

Fight, make pact, feel regret

CH. HOW TO TELL A TRUE WAR STORY: What's a "true" war story?

Not about war, but emotions

CH. HOW TO TELL A TRUE WAR STORY: Buffalo scene meaning?

Shows trauma and cruelty

CH. THE DENTIST: What does Lemon do?

Faints, then has tooth pulled to prove toughness

CH. SWEETHEART ON THE SONG TRA BONG: What happens to Mary Anne?

Turns savage, loses innocence

CH. SWEETHEART ON THE SONG TRA BONG: What does she represent?

War's consuming power

CH. STOCKINGS & CHURCH: What do the pantyhose symbolize?

Protection and comfort

CH. STOCKINGS & CHURCH: Why is it ironic?

Tough soldier relies on something soft

CH. THE MAN I KILLED & AMBUSH: What does O'Brien imagine?

Dead man's life and dreams

CH. THE MAN I KILLED & AMBUSH: Why retell in "Ambush"?

To explain to his daughter and face guilt

CH. STYLE: Girl's dancing meaning?

Spiritual or symbolic response to trauma

CH. SPEAKING OF COURAGE & NOTES: Why can't Bowker talk?

Feels alone, ashamed, misunderstood

CH. SPEAKING OF COURAGE & NOTES: What does "Notes" reveal?

O'Brien invented parts; Bowker later died

CH. IN THE FIELD: What does Cross struggle with?

Leadership guilt over Kiowa's death

CH. GOOD FORM: Truth types?

Story-truth feels realer than happening-truth

CH. FIELD TRIP: Why return to Vietnam?

To find peace at Kiowa's death site

CH. FIELD TRIP: Why go with daughter?

To connect past with present

CH. THE GHOST SOLDIERS: What does O'Brien do to Jorgenson?

Takes revenge for poor medical care

CH. THE GHOST SOLDIERS: How does O'Brien change?

Becomes colder, darker

CH. NIGHT LIFE: Why does Rat Kiley break down?

Night patrols, stress, and fear overwhelm him

CH. THE LIVES OF THE DEATH: Who is Linda?

Childhood love; symbolizes memory and death

CH. THE LIVES OF THE DEATH: What does O'Brien show?

How stories keep the dead alive