GradeSaver(TM) ClassicNotes The Things They Carried: Study Guide
Home : The Things They Carried : Questions & Answers

The Things They Carried Questions & Answers

by Tim O'Brien

The Things They Carried, published in 1990, was a runaway hit and is included in many high school and university curricula. O’Brien has called the form of the work “meta-fiction,” indicating that it is neither non-fiction nor quite fiction. The work is made up of 22 stories or chapters that are…

Ask a Question

Ask a question and get answers from your fellow students and educators.

Ask a Question

Questions about The Things They Carried

  • Pages:
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
 
What is the significance of the title of the chapter "Field Trip"?
Posted by hannah w #301623
Last updated by: jill d #170087 on Feb 13, 2013 8:03 PM
Answers: 1
 
What is the significance of the simile O'Brien uses to explain his inability to move while standing in the field of mush? what is the simile?
Posted by hannah w #301623
Last updated by: jill d #170087 on Feb 13, 2013 7:57 PM
Answers: 1
 
What ultimately is the power of storytelling?
Posted by hannah w #301623
Last updated by: jill d #170087 on Feb 13, 2013 7:42 PM
Answers: 1
 
what kind of literacy device does the narrator ise several times throught the chapter "Style" to describe the sene in the village where he young girl is dancing? What effect s created with device?
Posted by hannah w #301623
Last updated by: Aslan on Feb 12, 2013 9:48 PM
Answers: 1
 
What are the levels of "courage" to which the title of this vignette refers?
Posted by hannah w #301623
Last updated by: Aslan on Feb 12, 2013 9:43 PM
Answers: 1
 
How does Norman Bowker experience his hometown after returning to it after the end of the War?
Posted by hannah w #301623
Last updated by: Aslan on Feb 12, 2013 9:40 PM
Answers: 1
 
How is the 4th of July display described in the chapter an instance of irony?
Posted by hannah w #301623
Last updated by: Aslan on Feb 12, 2013 9:39 PM
Answers: 1
 
How does the chapter "Notes" build on the previous chapter's theme of isolation and alienation?
Posted by hannah w #301623
Last updated by: Aslan on Feb 12, 2013 9:20 PM
Answers: 1
 
How does the chapter contribute to the theme of guilt?
Posted by hannah w #301623
Last updated by: Aslan on Feb 12, 2013 9:16 PM
Answers: 1
 
Who is the predominant narrator in this chapter?
Posted by hannah w #301623
Last updated by: Aslan on Feb 12, 2013 9:13 PM
Answers: 1
 
What is Azar's coping mechanism for dealing with death?
Posted by hannah w #301623
Last updated by: Aslan on Feb 12, 2013 8:53 PM
Answers: 1
 
What is the significaance of the metaphor O'Brien uses to describe Jimmy Cross's reaction to seeing his soliders search for Kiowa's body?
Posted by hannah w #301623
Last updated by: Aslan on Feb 12, 2013 8:48 PM
Answers: 1
 
How does the chapter develope the themes of guilt and blame?
Posted by hannah w #301623
Last updated by: Aslan on Feb 12, 2013 8:35 PM
Answers: 1
 
what other themes does O'Brien revisit in narrating Cross's feelings on the morning after Kiowa's death?
Posted by hannah w #301623
Last updated by: Aslan on Feb 12, 2013 8:33 PM
Answers: 1
 
In Ambush, how does the narrative technique, the way the paragrapghs are structured in this chapter, contribute to the themes of the novel
Posted by hannah w #301623
Last updated by: Aslan on Feb 12, 2013 6:53 PM
Answers: 1
 
What have we learned about o'Brien's idea of truth in this chapter?
Posted by lupe h #291773
Last updated by: Aslan on Dec 18, 2012 12:25 AM
Answers: 1
 
Why does O'Brien include Norman's letter in the story?
Posted by alan c #287223
Last updated by: Aslan on Dec 09, 2012 12:32 PM
Answers: 1
 
What does O'Brien say about storytelling in "Notes"?
Posted by alan c #287223
Last updated by: Aslan on Dec 09, 2012 12:30 PM
Answers: 1
 
How did Norman feel about O'Brien's story (according to O'Brien, of course)?
Posted by alan c #287223
Last updated by: Aslan on Dec 09, 2012 12:26 PM
Answers: 1
 
What do we learn in "Notes" about the previous story?
Posted by alan c #287223
Last updated by: Aslan on Dec 09, 2012 12:20 PM
Answers: 1
 
What are we to make of "Speaking of Courage," considering what O'Brien writes in the conclusion to "Notes"?
Posted by alan c #287223
Last updated by: Aslan on Dec 09, 2012 12:19 PM
Answers: 1
 
What is the "courage" of which the story speaks?
Posted by alan c #287223
Last updated by: alan c #287223 on Dec 09, 2012 11:24 AM
Answers: 1
 
who is the main character?
Posted by kameran b #286507
Last updated by: jill d #170087 on Nov 28, 2012 8:26 AM
Answers: 1
 
what did tim do at work when he decided to leave in the chapter on the rainy rive?
Posted by duncan s #281659
Last updated by: Aslan on Nov 08, 2012 9:11 AM
Answers: 1
 
what was the main "ghost" in vietnam?
Posted by alexis w #281491
Last updated by: jill d #170087 on Nov 07, 2012 5:57 PM
Answers: 1
  • Pages:
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
 

Join for free to ask a question.

Existing Users

Forgot your password? Click here.

New Users

Must contain six characters and at least one digit.

The Things They Carried Essays and Related Content