Shakespeare
Literature
Other Subjects
Blog
Email
Please enter valid Email
Password
Please enter Password
Remember Me
Forgot Password?
Don't have an account?
Subscribe
Log In
Help
Artboard
Created with Sketch.
Resubscribe
Perform Search
Shakespeare
Literature
Other Subjects
Blog
Log In
Subscribe
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
"The Lives of the Dead" Quiz
"The Lives of the Dead" Quiz
1
of 5
What does Jensen urge O’Brien to do?
Give him some of his food
Joke about a dead man
Disobey a direct command
Run away from the war
2
of 5
Who is Linda?
Azar’s wife
Cross’s sister
O’Brien’s first love
Dobbins’s girlfriend
3
of 5
Why does Linda wear a red cap?
It was her mom’s favorite cap.
O’Brien really liked it.
To keep the sun out of her eyes.
To cover up her sickness.
4
of 5
What does Linda tell O’Brien in his dreams?
It’s okay that she’s dead.
She will always love him.
He needs to avenge her death.
He should find her red cap.
5
of 5
What does O’Brien say at the end of the book?
Vietnam was an unjust war.
He served in the best platoon.
Cross married Martha.
The dead live in stories we tell.
Previous section
"Night Life" Quick Quiz
Next section
Study Questions
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
