Want study tips sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter!

Search all of SparkNotes

Suggestions

Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.

Shakespeare
Literature
Other Subjects
- Biography
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Drama
- Economics
- Film
- Health
- History
Teacher
- SparkTeach
- Teacher's Handbook
Blog

Help

Search all of SparkNotes

Suggestions

Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.

Shakespeare
Literature
Other Subjects
- Biography
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Drama
- Economics
- Film
- Health
- History
- Math
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Poetry
- Psychology
- Short Stories
- Sociology
- US Government and Politics
Teacher
- SparkTeach
- Teacher's Handbook
Blog
Help

The Things They Carried

Tim O’Brien

Study Guide Infographic

Study Guide
Infographic

Summary
Characters
Main Ideas
Quotes
- Important Quotes Explained
- Quotes by Setting
- Vietnam
Further Study
Writing Help

Further Study

"Good Form" Quiz

Further Study "Good Form" Quiz

1 of 5
What does O'Brien compare?

Life and death
Moral and immoral actions
Real truth and story truth
Golf and baseball

2 of 5
What did O'Brien say he saw on the trail near My Khe?

A man die
Kids at play
A napalm bombing
A vision of Jesus

3 of 5
What does O'Brien say he wants to accomplish by not being truthful?

He wants to mess with the reader's mind.
He wants to distort reality.
He wants to display the craziness of Vietnam.
He wants to elicit emotional truth.

4 of 5
What does O'Brien imagine his daughter asking him?

How he survived the war
If he killed someone
How the war affected him
If Martha and Cross married

5 of 5
How does O'Brien imagine his response to his daughter's question?

He refuses to answer her question.
He chides her for asking.
He tells the truth, then lies.
He wishes she did not ask him.

Previous section "In the Field" Quick Quiz Next section "Field Trip" Quick Quiz

Popular pages: The Things They Carried

Character List CHARACTERS
Tim O’Brien CHARACTERS
Themes MAIN IDEAS
Plot Analysis MAIN IDEAS
Is The Things They Carried fiction or memoir? MAIN IDEAS
Important Quotes Explained QUOTES
Full Book Quiz FURTHER STUDY

Take a Study Break

Every Shakespeare Play Summed Up in a Quote from The Office
Honest Names for All the Books on Your English Syllabus
Pick 5 Books and We'll Tell You What Netflix Show You Should Binge-Watch This Summer
QUIZ: Can You Identify the Shakespeare Play By Its Most Popular Quote?
Every Marvel Movie Summed Up in a Single Sentence
QUIZ: Are You a Hero, a Villain, or an Anti-Hero?
Pick 10 Books and We'll Guess Whether You're an Introvert or an Extrovert

Sign up for our latest news and updates!

By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. You can view our Privacy Policy here. Unsubscribe from our emails at any time.

First Name

Last Name

Email

The #1 FREE study site for students

Most Popular
No Fear Shakespeare
Literature Guides
Other Subjects
SparkNotes Blog

More Help
About
Contact Us
How to Cite SparkNotes
How to Write Literary Analysis
Advertise

Find Us On

Copyright © SparkNotes LLC

Terms of Use
|
Privacy
|
Cookie Policy
|
Do Not Sell My Personal Information