The Things They Carried: Blog Prompt #3

At war, it seems that most people become someone different. While in a war situation people leave behind who they are and create a new persona. I think this is done subconsciously to evade the truth that they are not a different person. People don't want to associate the horrors of war with themselves. When someone is at war they will become someone different. I think soldiers probably did know each other very well. they lived and died with each other and i can imagine they would have been very emotional about each other. these men were friends. An example of a emotional moment in the Things They Carried would be the death of Kiowa. The other men were very sad about his death and can't stop thinking about what they could have done to prevent his death.

Mary Anne Bell symbolizes the true behavior of women. Women aren't meant to serve men and tend to their every needs as was believed in earlier years. Women are independent and can have more curiosity and courage than men. O'Brien put this character in to his book in order to help break this belief. Bell shows the men what women are capable of.

In many ways this book is true but there are many things that O'Brien has added in to his story as well. O'Brien explained this in the beginning of his story. Characters such as Mary Anne Bell are not real but add to the story in a positive way. Some of the characters are real and some are fake. All of the decisions O'Brien made in his work are to improve the meaning behind the work. They give the book more meaning or they make the work more understandable.

The relationships and connections are not all real but they give a better view of how the war actually was. Some of the stories are faked to add more emphasis to certain themes such as the horrors of war. If O'Brien heard a story from someone that he found interesting he might decide to mix it into the rest of the story because it's worth talking about. Other parts may be taking out he said because they are too horrible. O'Brien's technique of story telling is symbolized when Lieutenant Jimmy Cross sends a letter to Kiowa's father. In this letter he only describes the good things about Kiowa and leaves out where he died, a sewage field.



QUESTIONS:
1. Is Jimmy Cross a good Lieutenant?
2. Who is the most important character in the novel or are the men and women equally important?
3. Why is the Things They Carried an important book to understand?
4. What is the most important theme in the things they carried?
5. Who is the most influential character in the Things They Carried?