Discussion Things They Carried

1. 1. Is the book told in first person or third person? How does this affect the seeming reliability of the narrative?

      
      

   2. What is the role of shame in the soldiers' lives? Does shame propel them to heroism or stupidity?

      
      

   3. In "The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong how does gender seem to affect reactions to war?

      
      

   4. The central topic of The Things They Carried is the Vietnam War, but the book is also about writing and storytelling. How would you describe O'Brien's conception of the role of fiction?

   5. What role does Kathleen play in this book? Does she make her father feel guilty?
   
   

2. Soldiers' tales are often an opportunity for the teller to swagger, to play the hero, to seem macho. How does O'Brien portray this macho culture?

   
   

3. Read the dedication page of the book. How is it part of the narrative?

   
   

4. O'Brien writes that a story is "like a kind of dreaming." How so?

   
   

5. What is the role of death in this book? Is it a release from a nightmarish life, or something to be feared?