Study Questions & Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. Discuss the
idea of carrying in O'Brien's work. What things are carried, and
by whom?
2. Discuss the
use of third-person narration in the work. Since most of the work
is personal and written from a first-person perspective, what purpose
does third-person narration serve? Why is the collection's title phrased
in the third-person plural?
3. What is the
role of women in
The Things They Carried?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. “The Man I Killed” is the
only story that focuses primarily on a Vietnamese character. Why
does this shift in focus occur in this particular story? Why are
Vietnamese characters largely absent from the rest of the text?
2. Although the work is supposedly
about the Vietnam war, the final story focuses not on the war but
on an episode from O'Brien's childhood. Discuss how this story relates
to the stories of the war. What is O'Brien's purpose in ending his collection
of stories this way?
3. What do the terms “story-truth”
and “happening-truth” mean in the context of the book? How do they
differ?
4. Although The Things
They Carried contains a story called “The Man I Killed,”
it is unclear whether O'Brien actually killed anyone in Vietnam.
What purpose does this ambiguity serve?
5. How does shame fit into O'Brien's
portrayal of the war experience?
6. Discuss the structure of the
work. Do the stories progress in a linear manner? How does the work's
fragmented style contribute to the themes that run through the stories?
