AP English Literature

Lit Chart
Title of Novel: The Things They Carried
Author: Tim OBrien
Synopsis (Detailed paragraphs):
The narrator, Tim OBrien, begins telling his story of his experiences in the Vietnam war. He starts off by
describing what each of the men in the Alpha Company carry with them out in the field. The soldiers all carry
ammo, food, photographs, and standard supplies, but many of them carry fear and guilt. Each of the soldiers
also carries personal items. Jimmy Cross, the Lieutenant, carries letters from his love interest, Martha. Ted
Lavender carries drugs and tranquilizers. Rat Kiley carries comic books and medication. Kiowa carries a bible
and hatchet. When they are conducting a tunnel mission. Lavender returns from peeing and gets shot in the head
and Cross blames himself for thinking about Martha and not paying attention. Tim continues describing what
they carry and describes the seemingly purposeless missions. Cross begins losing himself in his hatred and love
of Martha.
Tim returns to the future and writes about Cross describing his relationship with Martha. He loves Martha, but
Martha doesnt feel the same way back. Tim then mentions that he promised Cross not to mention something,
piquing the readers interest. Tim begins describing his past again and flashes back to different stories. He talks
about the routines of each of his fellow soldiers. Tim then describes a scary mission, during which an old man
helps them across minefields. He also describes boring missions, which involve waiting and letting the wear
slowly wear away. Tim explains that war is not all evil and can have good.
Tim describes how he ended up in Vietnam. He receives a draft notice to a war that he does not support because
he believes there needs to be a rational reason to have people killed. Tim believes that he is too good for the war
because he is educated, has a large future ahead of him, and doesnt want to die. He goes up north to stay in a
lodge, and the owner takes him down the river towards Canada. Even though he is so close to his own freedom,
he stays out of embarrassment.
Tim begins describing Vietnam again. Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen fight over a jackknife, but soon become best
friends. They cover each other, team up, and eventually make a pact that if one becones disabled, the other will
kill the first. When Strunk steps on a mine, Jensen doesnt kill him but is relieved when he dies, as if his pact
was somehow maintained.
Kileys best friend, Kurt Lemon, is killed so Kiley writes a letter to Lemons sister, who never responds. Tim
uses this story to illustrate his point that a true war story does not have a real moral or virtue. He claims that a
true war story is evil and filled with emotions. The audience believes with their heart and their stomach churns.
Lemon and Kiley play stupid games with smoke grenades, but one day Lemon steps on a mine and is blown
apart. Later, Kiley shoots a baby water buffalo, torturing it and throwing it into a well. Even though it may not
have happened, the feeling of those actions certainly did.
Kiley tells a story about how a soldier named Fossie brought his girlfriend, Mary Anne, into Vietnam, but she
slowly transforms and becomes like a Green Beret. Tim also tells a story about Dobbins, who wears his
girlfriends pantyhose around his neck and never seems to get hurt. When they make a base in the home of some
monks, they help a lot and are very kind, taking a liking to Dobbins. Dobbins talks about how he would be good
at being nice to others.
Tim begins another flashback of the man that he kills. He talks about how he felt, simply staring at the man and
looking at his injuries, imperfections, and perfections. He realizes that they are similar: academics with full lives
ahead. Tim realizes that he was trained to do the killing motion and forgives himself by keeping the man alive in
his memories and dreams.
Tim talks about Norman Bowker after the war, who drives around a lake on the Fourth of July and blames
himself for Kiowas death. He wanted to talk but couldnt. He couldnt find use for his life and couldnt deal
with PTSD. However, Tim states that Norman wasnt to blame for Kiowa, but that he himself was. The day of
Kiowas death is very rainy, the river begins to rise, and Jimmy Cross chooses to set up on top of soft soil. The

soil in the rain turns into a sort of quicksand, and the soil is actually shit. When mortars begin to rain on them,
Kiowa gets sucked down, and everybody has to leave due to the horrible smell. After Kiowa dies, multiple
characters hold the blame for Kiowas death and they try to distance themselves from the fact that Kiowa is
dead. Tim once again emphasizes the difference between story truth and truth truth. Many years later, Tim goes
back to the field and returns Kiowas boot to the bottom of the river.
Tim remembers that he was shot twice and describes how the first time Kiley patched him up very quickly and
Tim got better very quickly. The second time however, after Kiley broke and shot his own foot to get out of the
war, Jorgenson forgets to treat shock and almost kills him. Tim tries to get revenge on him, and they make up
their differences after trying to scare him.
At the very end, Tim describes his fourth day. He sees the other make fun and play with dead bodies. However,
as he becomes accustomed to war, he realizes this is a way to cope with war and recalls his elementary school
girlfriend, Linda, who died of cancer. He points out that even though some people may be dead, they live on in
stories and in the memories of the living.
(6-10) Main Characters, Description and Relationship to Each Other:
Tim OBrien: Tim is the narrator of the novel. He is an educated young man who has a bright future. He is
scared of going to the war because he is scared of dying and does not believe in the reasons for this war. The
older version of him is very wise and educated and middle aged. He is full of love and compassion but is turned
into a machine by war and becomes distanced from reality. Tim is a very rational person overall and is friendly
with most people. He is able to cope with PTSD by writing stories and distancing himself from the facts. He is a
soldier and best friends with Kiowa and friends with Bowker, Cross, Sanders, Kiley, and Azar.
Jimmy Cross: Jimmy Cross is a lovesick young man who is Lieutenant of the Alpha Company. He is in love
with a woman names Martha who does not love him back and is distracted by her. He is clever but obedient and
very prideful. He does not like to admit his mistakes and instead tries to distance himself from them because he
feels the personal impact of many deaths. Jimmy feels very guilty about many of the deaths his company faces
even though he has nothing to do with any of them. Jimmy is responsible, as Lieutenant for Tim, Kiowa,
Bowker, Sanders, Kiley, Azar, and other minor characters.
Kiowa: Kiowa is the Tims best friend and the subject of a lot of discussion in the book. He has a distrust for
the white man and is religious. He is very brave and has a nice sense of humor that others appreciate. Overall,
he wishes well and is very honest. He is very empathetic and is able to bond with almost everybody. He cares
for everybody and tries connecting with others and helping others deal with their losses and trauma. Physically,
he is Native American. Kiowa is a loyal member of the Alpha Company, subordinate to Cross, and friends of
Tim, Bowker, Sanders, Kiley, and Azar.
Norman Bowker: Norman is a peaceful man and does not like war very much. He does not like talking very
much about death and tries to avoid violent or gruesome situations. A lot of his pressure comes from his belief
that his father wants him to earn medals in Vietnam. Norman is deeply affected by Vietnam and has severe
PTSD. He projects his own expectations onto expectations that others expect of him. He is unable to
communicate with others and feels trapped and unable to talk, just as he was unable to listen in Vietnam. He is
friend to Tim, Kiowa, Sanders, Kiley and Azar.
Mitchell Sanders: Sanders is a wonderful friend and is very likeable like Kiowa. He has a sense of humor,
picking off body lice to send to his draft board. He stands by truth and what he believes, never backing down
from what he believes is right. For example, when Cross makes a mistake, he doesnt forgive him. Additionally,
he is caring and understanding. He supports Rats decision to shoot himself in the foot and doesnt help Tim
enact revenge on Jorgenson. Sanders is friends with Kiowa, Bowker, Tim, Kiley, and Azar.
Rat Kiley: Rat is a very likeable and real person. He is creative and enjoys telling stories, blowing them wildly
out of proportion. He also interrupts himself often to add new details or elaborate on other ideas. He is very
brave; during battle, when Tim gets shot, he runs around making sure he is okay. Rat is also very funny and
enjoys telling jokes. Even though he has a tough outward appearance, he is fragile on the inside and shoots off
his toe to get out of war. He is friends with Tim, Kiowa, Bowker, Sanders, and Azar.
Azar: Azar is a very cruel character and shows this in several places, from blowing up the puppy to laughing at
deaths. Though he puts on an outward appearance of toughness, he is very fragile on the inside, as demonstrated
at the end when Kiowas body is found. He is overly confident and a braggart, and not many people like him a
lot. He is a nuisance to most people. He is friends with Kiley, Sanders, Tim, Bowker, and Kiowa.

Themes (3 major themes identified and expressed in more than one word & significance explained):
1. The Truth is Not The Truth: Throughout the novel, Tim OBrien makes a point of differentiating
between the truth truth and story truth. He states that the truth truth is not representative of what
actually happened. For example, when OBrien describes Lemons death, he states that the sun seemed
to lift him up. Though from an outsiders point of view, this may seem exaggerated or made up
completely, but OBrien claims that during the moment, what actually happens may not be concurrent
with how it seems. However, the truth of the matter is the truth of the experience; a story does nothing if
it does not make the audience feel. This theme frames the entire novel. Even though OBrien sets up the
novel as if it is a true story, he begins revealing that certain important stories are lies or have been
changed. This causes the audience to doubt the truth of the story; in the end, however, that is OBriens
exact point. The reader is supposed to feel confused and betrayed because in the end, all that remains is
the story itself, and the only way to get the truth is by believing the story truth because it emulates the
emotions and experiences of those who were actually in the war. When OBrien claims that a certain
story or experience is true, he is in reality asserting that the way the reader perceives this truth is the
same way that the soldiers in the war did. Therefore, even though a story may seem outrageous or
impossible, the way it makes one feel exactly emulates how those in the field felt. They believed that
what they were seeing was outrageous and impossible, yet it still happened. In that sense, the truth of the
story lies in the perceived experiences on either end.
2. War Dehumanizes: Like in Catch-22, this book heavily revolves around the idea of war. War is, as an
institution, unjust. Against the will of the individual, a human is forced to fight against and potentially
kill another human being or be killed. Tim ponders this extensively during his trip to the lodge near
Canada. However, the dehumanization of war is truly illustrated when Tim talks about the man that he
killed. When Tim tosses the grenade, a number of ways that war dehumanizes is illustrates. Firstly, war
takes men like Tim and turns them into killing machines. Tim threw the grenade without quite
understanding what was going on. Additionally, the man who Tim killed had many undamaged parts of
his body which all represent pureness. This man had just joined the war, and as the butterfly touched
him, Tim realized that this man was still innocent. Tim, a machine for war, killed another human being.
Instead of war caring about innocents, war takes the value of a human life and degrades it to that of an
animal. This is also shown in the shit field. War takes innocent, caring human beings like Kiowa and
drowns them. Whether they physically or mentally die, nobody returns the same if they return at all.
Instead, they are treated as statistics. In fact, the men themselves perpetuate this dehumanization. When
Tim first arrives, they order an airstrike. Afterwards, the men play with the bodies. This is illustrated
throughout the book, and demonstrates that no matter how hard one tries to resist, society brainwashes
the individual, making them worthless and degrading them.
3. Fear Motivates: Fear is a huge motivator throughout the novel. For example, the reason Tim does not
leave the United States to go to Canada is out of fear of embarrassment; he cannot stand not being able
to see his family or disappointing those who gave their lives to build up the nation. Fear of the stench is
what drives Bowker to stop trying to save Kiowa. Azar puts on his tough act in order to drive away the
fear inside him. Fear is what drives many people to do what they do. When Kiley shoots the water
buffalo, he is scared and traumatized, and shoots the buffalo to assert control. The idea that fear
motivates is mainly used as a driving point for the story. To transition and to rationalize stories, fear is
used. OBrien uses this example to demonstrate that no matter what, fear causes us to do many thing.
Often, it is the fear of failure that drives people to try harder. It is the fear of being humiliated that causes
people to do things. OBrien outlines a basic human trait and illustrates how even brave, rational people
can become completely different under the influence of fear.
Important Quotations (& page number) With Explanation:
1. Kathleen can say, did you ever kill anybody? And I can say, honestly, Of course not. Or I can
say, honestly, Yes. (121). This quote summarizes the purpose of the book. OBrien wishes to make
the point that the story truth and the happening truth are different. The fact that two different answers
can represent the truth represents the disparity between the two ideas. The happening truth is that he
didnt kill anybody. However, by being in war and participating in it, he effectively did, and the way he
felt when others killed would have felt to his daughter truer than the actual happening truth could have

possibly been. Once again, the story truth, the truth that matters, is all about how it makes you feel
because truth is about being in the situation and understanding what is was like, not simply knowing the
facts.
2. Feels like Im still in deep shit. (106). Bowker describes the effects of war in this quote, which
perfectly describes the effect of war. Just as Kiowa drowned in the shit field, the effects of war last much
longer than one stays in the war. The shit field drowned Kiowa physically, filling his innocent and nice
body with shit. Likewise, Bowker, an innocent person, drowned in shit that day. The war filled him up
with bad feelings, bad memories, and negative effects. It also illustrates how nothing can ever be taken
back; once something happens, it is permanent, which simply extends the effects that it may have on
somebody.
3. I would go to the war-I would kill and maybe die-because I was embarrassed not to (46). This
perfectly illustrates the idea that fear motivates. Fear for his life motivated Tim to travel towards Canada
and contemplate deserting. However, fear of embarrassment motivated him to join the army. This quote
also allows the reader to join OBrien in his shoes. The interjection of the thought I would kill and
maybe die reflects the way a man going to war would think and forces the reader to experience the
story truth and realize how certain feelings can affect certain decisions.
4. Aint biting, he said (47). The fact that Elroy states this right after Tim decides not to go to Canada
illustrates how despite how hard one may want to, it is impossible to escape ones identity. Tim is an
American and he needs to pay his duty. Even though he desperately wants to live and not go to war, Tim
wont bite out of fear of embarrassment. Just like a fishhook with bait seems promising, Tim realizes
that the allure of Canada is an illusion just as the hook baits fish. OBrien communicates to the reader
that many opportunities may seem alluring, but one must consider everything before taking the bait.
5. We kept the dead alive with stories (158). This quote represents a large purpose of the book. By
writing it, OBrien memorializes all of the casualties from his life. They are kept alive through the
stories and memories of those who read the book. Ultimately, legacies are passed down through word.
Instead of remembering people as statistics, by remembering who they were, humans are able to
represent their dead as actual living entities. After all, a stories are collections of experiences involving
certain people just as consciousness is.
Tone (3 tone words with supporting quotations & explanations [identifying specific words & phrases used
as evidence]):
1. Detachment: Curt Lemon was dead. Rat Kiley had lost his best friend in the world. Later in the week
he would write a long personal letter to the guy's sister, who would not write back, but for now it was a
question of pain (58). Theuseofshort,abruptsentencesillustratesafeelingofmatteroffactness.Simply
statingthefactsonebyone,OBriendoesnotinterjectanyopinionorcommentaryinthispassage.Asacontrast
totherestoftheparagraph,whereOBrieninterruptednarrationsandstoriesconstantlywithcommentsabout
stories,thisstoryisuninterrupted.Therefore,heisattemptingtoremovepersonalconnectionswiththestory
andletthestorytruthtellitself.Theuseofwasdeadandaquestionofpaindoesnotimplyanypersonal
connections,butallowsthestorytobedetachedandtellitself.
2. Grief: Everywhere, it seemed, in the trees and water and sky, a great worldwide sadness came
pressing down on me, a crushing sorrow, sorrow like I had never known it before (44). The use of the
words crushing sorrow and worldwide indicate that OBrien is not experiencing a typical sadness. This
sadness is extreme, and because he fears for his life (which is the reason he tries to run away), the sadness eats
away at him and is a deep sorrow for what he is losing: his own life. Additionally, the use of the words trees,
water, and sky indicate that his sorrow feels like his entire world is collapsing around him. This is
understandable, as he is being forced to go to a war in which he doesnt believe and could very well die.
3. Shock: His one eye was shut and the other was a star-shaped hole (86). The repetition of this line
illustrates how OBrien is struggling to accept what has happened. This is the closest he has been to a kill, and
he wants to believe that it didnt happen. Additionally, the repetition of specific details such as the star-shaped
hole illustrates how OBrien is trying to take in the details but cannot handle it very well. The repetition
reflects how his mind was processing the death of this man. Just as the story-truth is meant to reflect how

people really feel, this illustrates the shock and inability to comprehend what happened.

P.O.V. (and the effect on the novel):

This novel often switches between the first person perspective and third person perspective. OBrien uses this to
his advantage in multiple ways; the change in perspective allows the reader to understand the same events from
different perspectives and to gain a multi-dimensional view of the same event. By allowing the reader to view
events from different standpoints, it is easier to identify which emotions and effects result from which points of
view. For example, by allowing the reader to view the death of the Vietnamese soldier from different
viewpoints, the reader can begin to understand how war truly affects soldiers. Though, from the third person
perspective, it is clearer that OBrien did not kill the soldier, the reader begins to understand how from the first
person perspective, it may feel like OBrien killed the soldier. He feels guilt for being there and being associated
with those that killed this soldier. This change in point of view gives a more comprehensive understanding of
events like the death of the Vietnamese solider. The inclusion of other peoples thoughts also allow OBrien to
add additional input. The one-dimensional viewpoint of a first person narrator does not allow for the full range
of appeal that multi-dimensional viewpoints allow. The change in point of view also allows OBrien to make a
point about the effects of memory and trauma. While third person allows the reader to gain a more happeningtruth perspective on the war, the way OBrien distances himself from the narrative further helps illustrate his
point about truth. By living and reliving these memories as OBrien does, the reader gains a sense of what being
like and remembering events from the war is like. While OBrien could have told the story in a linear, third
person perspective to allow the reader to comprehend the happening-truth, he instead creates the purpose of
the book through these multiple layers. Not only does he use the explanation about truths to reveal the purpose
to us, but he uses the explanation itself as a structure that allows the reader to comprehend what life and thought
processes are like long after the war is over. As his memory shifts and changes, he deals with his PTSD by
distancing himself from the events. When the reader first reads certain events, he or she is captivated and
possibly shocked, just as soldiers are. Once again, the distancing and shift in point of view allows for a more
comprehensive understanding of the book.
Structure (and the effect on the novel):
This novel is structured as a flow of consciousness. OBrien narrates the book as if he is thinking about it, and
just as thoughts are often disjointed and contain a mess of ideas and interjections, he inserts these thoughts and
ideas that occur to him. For example, in How to Tell a True War Story, OBrien tells many stories and
interrupts these with ideas about the truth of truth. Additionally, this stream of consciousness is illustrated by the
seemingly disconnected stories and ideas. Memories tend to occur to our brains randomly and in no apparent
order. In this way, OBrien is able to keep the reader intrigued by appealing to the way our brains naturally
remember things.
OBrien also repeats many of his stories constantly. This repetition allows the reader to not only understand the
story from different perspectives, but allow OBrien to introduce and remove certain aspects of the story.
Remembering is an act of retrieving information, and often, especially during wartime situations, a lot of the
information is distorted and has no definitive happening truth. However, this is purposeful as OBrien uses this
ambiguity to not only tell the story-truth of what happened and to make the reader feel what he felt, but to
also tell the story-truth of how remembering the stories felt and to force the reader to feel how remembering
changes ideas.
This novel structured in the change of perspective also forces the reader to actively participate in the novel and

to believe the stories. The quick shifts and the many different perspectives give seemingly separate accounts of
the stories. These differing details and shifts in perspective and structure once again lend to the appeal of the
novel and further the purpose of the novel.
3-4 Symbols or other literary devices (and the effect on the novel):
Jimmy Cross: Jimmy Cross is a Jesus Christ figure (J.C.). Just as Jesus Christ took the sins and wrongdoings of
mankind, so Jimmy Cross bears the responsibility of the men. For every person under his direction who dies,
Jimmy Cross takes the blow personally and tries to find a way to apologize for something that he is not
personally responsible for. Even Jimmys last name, Cross, alludes to the fact that part of him is fixed and he
cannot escape his destiny. Likewise, this illustrates that everybody has their own burdens that they must deal
with. Even though one may not be personally responsible for anything that happens, he or she may still feel the
guilt and feel responsible for many things. Just as Jesus Christ did not ask to be crucified for mankinds sins,
Jimmy Cross and everybody else is born with certain situations or things that they cannot control and should not
blame themselves for. This is a sort of catharsis for Tim. It allows him to justify certain things that happen. For
example, even though Tim is extremely traumatized by the death of Kiowa and the Vietnamese man, he realizes
that many things happen that simply cannot be argued against. Trying to deny them takes too much energy and
is futile in the end. It is in a sense more honorable and less embarrassing to admit that. Jimmy Cross also
illustrates the sacrifices people go through in order to justify things. For example, Cross burns the letters and
photos of his love interest because he believes she is too distracting to him and is drawing him away from his
duty. He imposes a self-punishment, which many men in the book feel obligated to do. In essence, Jimmy Cross
is a symbol of forgiveness for everybody.
The Shit Field: The shit field represents both Vietnam and war. The entire country of Vietnam drags the
soldiers into it both physically and emotionally. Just as the shit field drags Kiowa in and fills him up, Vietnam
has dragged the men into it and is a part of them. They feel the lay of the land even though it is completely
foreign and infects their beings. However, the field is a stronger analogy for war. Obviously, Kiowa did not wish
to drown in the shit field. Likewise, many people do not wish to be taken in by war. Not only do they die
physically, but many soldiers come back from the war scarred and mentally dead due to PTSD. The shit field
drowning Kiowa is also symbolic of war. War kills innocent people. The shit field, regardless of whose fault it
was, ended up drowning Kiowa, just as no matter what reason there is for war, the end result is that people die.
Kiowa, a nice, innocent, and likeable person, drowned in a pool of evil. War takes good, smart people like Tim
and spits them out changed, dark, and traumatized. The repulsiveness of the shit field also allows the reader to
feel the way the soldiers felt. They were repulsed by the smell, wanting to get away from it all, and the use of
this symbol allows Tim to illustrate how a true war story involves the truth of feelings, not the truth of fact.
The Dead Man: The dead man is a more minor symbol. He represents the destructiveness of war, as parts of
him are blown apart and his body is damaged extremely badly in some places. However, it also illustrates the
beauty in war that Tim describes. For example, his fingernails were perfectly clean, and many parts of his body
were nearly untouched. There are two sides to everything. The man was very pure and innocent, as illustrated by
the butterfly landing on his undamaged parts. However, war takes man and begins tearing away at them. Some
people like Tim survive while others do not. The man he kills represents the people who dont survive and end
up dying whether mentally or physically. War takes innocence, feeding on it and destroying it. Additionally,
Tims distancing of himself from the dead man illustrates once again how even though one may not necessarily
be responsible for certain things, he or she may still blame themselves for it; people are not responsible for
everything that occurs around them.

One Thesis Statement (look over chart and use a theme from the novel):
In The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien, the narrator uses the structure, point of view, and changing stories
to demonstrate the idea that there is a large difference between the story-truth and happening-truth.
3 supporting bullet points to prove your thematic statement:
OBrien uses a shifting point of view to illustrate how from the first person, something that happens may
seem different than it actually occurred in real life.
The non-linear and flow of consciousness in the structure allows a larger layer of story-truth to appear in
the story so that OBrien can illustrate how the story-truth better reflects the thinking process of actual
humans.
The shifting stories and details force the reader to believe in what the author states, allowing the reader
to better understand that even though they may not be able to believe the story, it is the feeling that tells
the true story.