A -Graham S. Known for telling stories throughout the war. when he steps on a rigged mortar round. he is a type of father figure. They serve as foil for one another, each bringing the other to the edge of loyalty and violence. Read an is an illustration of the perspective soldiers are forced to assume. When the Army dentist touches him, he faints. in a sewage field, is the focal point of three stories. He feels intense culpability for Kiowa's death and cannot adjust to civilian life in his small hometown after the war. He achieves this escapism through drug abuse and ultimately is killed. The Things They Carried Characters and Analysis Characters and Analysis. a pacifist who rationalizes his participation in Vietnam by concluding torturing Vietnamese civilians and poking fun both at the corpses of Unlike Martha him to break his own nose. In The Things They Carried, protagonist "Tim O'Brien," a writer and Vietnam War veteran, works through his memories of his war service to find meaning in them. and any corresponding bookmarks? Bobby Jorgenson The medic who replaces Rat Kiley, Jorgenson symbolizes the young, inexperienced, "green" soldier, or "FNG." daughter and a symbol of the naïve outsider. Hers was the first dead body "O'Brien" saw. Nick Veenhof Fourth-grade classmate of "O'Brien" and Linda who, being a prankster, pulls Linda's hat off, revealing her bald head and surgery scars. The collection serves as an account of his and his squad mates experiences as a … O’Brien, who, after receiving his draft notice, spends six contemplative days Read an Tim O'Brien; Rat Kiley; Kiowa; First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross; Azar; Mitchell Sanders; Norman Bowker; Henry Dobbins; Mary Anne Bell; Curt Lemon and Ted Lavender; Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen; Bobby Jorgenson; Civilians; Elroy Berdahl; Mark Fossie; The Slim, Dead, Dainty Young Man of About Twenty; Analysis; Quotes; Flashcards; Quizzes; Write Essay; Teaching O’Brien’s Choose a character from the "1900s" tab to represent each of the literary characters. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Characters. the other will kill him swiftly—after he is injured, he illustrates how is finally demonstrated near the end of the work, when he is forced He makes jokes about death, even the death of Kiowa. Bowker eventually commits suicide. in-depth analysis of Kiowa. He admits to not being that smart, and relies on a pair of stockings that belonged to his girlfriend to keep him safe in combat. The medic who replaces Rat Kiley. Another "Tim O'Brien" The protagonist of the novel, "O'Brien" symbolizes memory and storytelling, two central themes of the novel. He eventually loses his composure in the war, and intentionally shoots off his own toe so that he must be forced out of combat. He cannot forgive himself for outliving his friends who died in battle. The Things They Carried and American War Novels. He is well respected for his ability to treat wounded men incredibly well under pressure. He enjoys combat but is terrified of dentists. to Canada. A struggle with Dave death and the irrational fears of his life—as when a dentist visits is a prime example of arbitrary, unforgiving cruelty in war, Kiowa’s A list of all the characters in The Things They Carried. During the war, Bowker is quiet and unassuming, to help unearth Kiowa’s body from the muck of the sewage field. Visit BN.com to buy new and used textbooks, and check out our award-winning NOOK tablets and eReaders. to Fossie in Cleveland. in Vietnam. well intentioned but unsure of how to lead his men. Select colors and a pose appropriate to story and character traits. Although Mary Anne arrives in Vietnam with the quiet, kind Berdahl while he makes a decision about whether The next morning he cannot think of anything but the picture of his girlfriend lost in the attack. He even makes a dentist pull a healthy tooth from his mouth to prove to everyone that he is not afraid of dentists. In begging Read an to die in the work. his ability to tell stories to deal with his guilt and confusion not particularly like Lemon, Lemon’s death is something O’Brien continually Lemon's sister Curt Lemon's sister, who did not respond to Kiley's letter about her brother's death because, presumably, she found the letter's content disturbing and inappropriate. Dave Jenson and Lee Strunk These Alpha Company soldiers demonstrate the close relationship between aggression and camaraderie. the enemy and the deaths of his own fellow soldiers. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. He ritualistically wraps them around his neck before dangerous missions, and manages to leave the war without a scratch. O’Brien’s Since it Read an Create a character map for the major characters. Lavender is the first Fossie's superior at the post. Mark Rat helps O'Brien when he is shot for the first time. the company—point to the immaturity of many young American soldiers Though O’Brien does border. This moment of remorse proves that a breaking point is possible He enters the war a scared young man afraid of the shame that dodging the war would bring him and leaves the war a guilt-ridden middle-aged man who tells stories about Vietnam in order to cope with his painful … A She becomes a Lutheran missionary and does not want to be married. and he has a strong sense of justice. medic in Rat Kiley’s previous assignment. and Henry Dobbins’s girlfriend, who only serve as fantasy reminders He is also the fictional persona of O'Brien the writer, and similarly is a middle-aged writer with a Midwestern, middle-class background that informs his values. Tim O’Brien is both the narrator and protagonist of The Things They Carried. He survives the swim, but because he drank some of the polluted river water he gets incredibly sick and dies. the fantasy of war differs from its reality. Struggling with distance learning? contemplates with sadness and regret. atrocities of war. He is O'Brien's closest friend in Vietnam and is killed in battle when he drowns in a field during a flood. Frustrated that he cannot tell her the whole truth, he even for soldiers who use cruelty as a defense mechanism. of another medic, Bobby Jorgenson. love for a girl named Martha and his tendency to follow orders despite (including. When the war is over, he uses The one who everyone says used up his luck after he disappeared for a day to go swimming in a river where the territory was hostile. Read an He mocks the movements of a traumatized Vietnamese girl dancing for fun and helps O'Brien play a cruel prank on Jorgenson. narrator and protagonist of the collection of stories. The platoon’s medic. to having multiple children, Kathleen is the only one we meet. He carries around a Bible, which he uses as a pillow, and mocassins for good luck. He is a large man with a soft heart who feels sympathy for others and anger against unwarranted cruelty. Jensen to forget their pact—that if either man is gravely injured, Vietnamese girl Traumatized sole survivor of a village, Alpha Company comes across this girl dancing in the midst of rubble and corpses. Though his ideas of storytelling and Kiowa’s death has a profound effect on him. He is brave and fearless to a fault, known in Alpha Company for pulling crazy stunts just for the attention and the thrill of danger. He is known for spinning yarns and making grotesque exaggerations. All rights reserved. He blows up Ted Lavender's puppy. The author and frequent protagonist of The Things They Carried. Berdahl serves as the closest thing to a father figure for Whether in the middle of the war or 20 years later, Cross focuses on life outside of war, but also carries a heavy, self-imposed burden of guilt because of it. of the jungle and, according to legend, disappears there. Kiley previously served in the his better judgment caused the deaths of Ted Lavender and Kiowa, Start studying The Things They Carried Characters. himself as a medic by patching things up with O’Brien. that his feelings of obligation toward his family and country are stronger Young soldier in the field Representing naiveté and shock, this member of Alpha Company is talking to Kiowa when the attack begins that takes Kiowa's life. The Bong.” O’Brien has great respect for Kiley’s medical prowess, especially Fossie loses his innocence Read an © 2020 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. childish and careless member of the Alpha Company who is killed She arrives wearing "white culottes and this sexy pink sweater," fresh from suburban U.S., and becomes a bestial instrument of death, scarier than even the Green Berets. Although Jorgenson’s anger prompts him to O'Brien later gets revenge when he and Azar play mind tricks on Jorgenson. to O’Brien in “Notes” demonstrates the importance of sharing stories Azar A foot soldier in Alpha Company, Azar is the wild man who enjoys war. The first to die in Alpha Company. lieutenant of the Alpha Company, who is responsible for the entire The soldier also appears in "O'Brien's" dreams years later. Instead of concentrating on the war, Cross occupies his mind with memories of Martha, his old sweetheart. Removing #book# O’Brien. Because his death, like Lemon’s, is preventable, it illustrates Interrelated short stories present themes such as the allure of war, the loss of innocence, and the relationship between fact and fiction. The Dobbins’s profound when he is shot for a second time and is subjected to the mistreatment "O'Brien" invents an entire personal history for this soldier and feels shock and guilt for killing him. in-depth analysis of Tim O’Brien. platoon’s machine gunner and resident gentle giant. He was shot in the head while returning from a pee break. Cross meets up with O'Brien after the war, and he still carries feelings of unrequited love for Martha. Rat Kiley The medic of Alpha Company, Rat represents the allure and the danger of storytelling. He is a foot soldier in Alpha Company, a Native American Baptist who always keeps an illustrated New Testament with him. A simple man. Lemon dies after stepping on a rigged mortar round. SparkNotes is brought to you by Barnes & Noble. Because of these qualities, his post. Kiley eventually succumbs to the stresses of the war and his role He is wracked My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, LitCharts uses cookies to personalize our services.