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Literature
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The Things They Carried
Tim O’Brien
Study Guide
Summary
Plot Overview
Five Key Questions
What Does the Ending Mean?
Summary & Analysis
“The Things They Carried”
“Love”
“Spin”
“On the Rainy River”
“Enemies” & “Friends”
“How to Tell a True War Story”
“The Dentist”
“Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”
“Stockings”
“Church”
“The Man I Killed”
“Ambush”
“Style”
“Speaking of Courage”
“Notes”
“In the Field”
“Good Form”
“Field Trip”
“The Ghost Soldiers”
“Night Life”
“The Lives of the Dead”
Characters
Character List
Tim O’Brien
Jimmy Cross
Mitchell Sanders
Kiowa
Mary Ann Foster
Norman Bowker
Elroy Berdahl
Main Ideas
Themes
Plot Analysis
Protagonist
Antagonist
Setting
Motifs
Symbols
Genre
Style
Point of View
Tone
Foreshadowing
Key Facts
Is The Things They Carried fiction or memoir?
Quotes
Important Quotations Explained
Further Study
Context
Protests Against the Vietnam War
The Things They Carried and American War Novels
Movie Adaptations
Full Book Quiz
Section Quizzes
Character List
Analysis of Major Characters
Themes, Motifs, and Symbols
"The Things They Carried"
"Love"
"Spin"
"On the Rainy River"
"Enemies" and "Friends"
"How to Tell a True War Story"
"The Dentist"
"Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong"
"Stockings"
"Church"
"The Man I Killed"
"Ambush"
"Style"
"Speaking of Courage"
"Notes"
"In the Field"
"Good Form"
"Field Trip"
"Ghost Soldiers'
"Night Life"
"The Lives of the Dead"
Study Questions
Suggestions for Further Reading
Companion Texts
Writing Help
How to Write Literary Analysis
Suggested Essay Topics
How to Cite This SparkNote
Further study
"Church" Quiz
"Church" Quiz
1
of 5
How long do the soldiers stay at the make-shift church?
About 1 day
About 1 week
About 1 month
About 1 year
2
of 5
Which of Dobbins’s possessions do the monks clean?
His machine gun
His knife
His clothes
His shoes
3
of 5
Why would Dobbins like to join the church?
He’s a deeply religious man.
He feels something is missing in his life.
He wants to learn how to get to heaven.
He would enjoy the community.
4
of 5
What does Kiowa say he wouldn’t enjoy?
Being without God
Being tortured
Being alone
Being a preacher
5
of 5
How does Dobbins feel the monks should be treated?
They should be treated nicely.
They should be ignored.
They should be punished.
They should be worshipped.
Previous section
"Stockings" Quick Quiz
Next section
"The Man I Killed" Quick Quiz
The Things They Carried: Popular pages
CHARACTERS
Character List
CHARACTERS
Tim O’Brien: Character Analysis
MAIN IDEAS
Plot Analysis
MAIN IDEAS
Is The Things They Carried fiction or memoir?
MAIN IDEAS
Important Quotations Explained
MAIN IDEAS
Themes
FURTHER STUDY
Review Quiz
