THINGS THEY CARRIED
"A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest modes of proper human behavior, nor restrain men from doing the things men have always done. If a story seems moral, do not believe it. If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie."
-Tim O達rien
Some Questions To Consider
1. How does one tell a true war story according to O達rien? Is it possible to tell total lies that still represent truth? If so, how? What is the role of detail in a "true" war story? Of generalization?
2. Is "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" a true war story? Why or why not?
3. How does the Things They Carried title capture some of the themes at the heart of the book?
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. What does O達rien mean when he says he went to war because he was a coward? Was he right in making this decision?5. What is attractive about war for O達rien? How do you respond to this?
6. To what extent is Things They Carried a book about the Vietnam War and to what extent is it a book about war in general?
7. How is the perspective of the war veteran different from the perspective of the historian? Which is more likely to speak the "truth?"
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To what extent should we learn about the past not only through history books but through novels? Is the Things They Carried a novel? How would you begin to characterize its form? To what extent does it blur the boundaries between "fiction" and "non-fiction" and how, if at all, can that contribute to our on-going conversation about war and memory?9
. What is missing from this book? To what extent are these silences linked to what is in the book?10
. Why do you think O達rien feels guilty sometimes for still writing war stories? Is he deluded in his hope that stories can save us?Some Extra Resources
*** I have provided some interviews with O'Brien and some book reviews below. There is no need for you to sample any of this material and doing so is no substitute for a direct engagement with Things They Carried itself. That direct engagement rests at the heart of the assignment. However, you are welcome to browse in some of these extra resources if you have the time and inclination to do so.
A.O Scott, "Voicing Vietnam: Tim O'Brien's 'Things They Carried,' Read By Bryan Cranston," New York Times, November 21, 2013.
Sarah Funke Butler, "Document: Tim O'Brien's Archive," Paris Review (October 30, 2012).
Tim O'Brien, "'The Things They Carried,' 20 Years Later," Big Think, April 23, 2012. His discussion of the book is part of this longer interview.
"Tim O'Brien Tells A True War Story," Big Think, April 23, 2012.
"Tim O'Brien On 'The Things They Carried,'" Arlington Reads, April 22, 2011.
"A Conversation With Tim O'Brien On Writing And War," January 24, 2011: An hour-long conversation with fellow author and veteran Tobias Wolff at Stanford University.
"'Things They Carried' Back From Vietnam," Fresh Air, WHYY, May 31, 2010.
John Greenya, "Book Review: 'The Things They Carried,'" Washington Times, April 2, 2010.
"'The Things They Carried,' 20 Years On," Talk Of The Nation, NPR, March 24, 2010.
"Book Discussion On 'The Things They Carried,'" C-Span, September 19, 2005.
Robert R. Harris, "Too Embarrassed Not To Kill," New York Times, March 11, 1990.
Michiko Kakutani, "Books Of The Times: Slogging Surreally In The Vietnamese Jungle," New York Times, March 6, 1990.