The Things They Carried by Tim O

1
The Things They Carriedby Tim OBrien

• Presentation of the story The Things They
  Carried

2
Characters are Defined by What They Carry.

• Rank
• Specialty in the field
• Necessity (personal professional)
• Mission
• Superstition
• Reflects heritage, culture, personality
• Why the emphasis on what things weigh?

3
Examples of things characters carry

• Rat Kiley morphine, plasma,
  malaria tablets, surgical tape (comic
  books, MMs)
• Kiowa Bible, hatchet, moccasins
• Lt. Jimmy Cross maps, binoculars, compass,
  code books, .45 pistol
• What responsibility does Jimmy carry?

4
They all carried ghosts (9).

• Lt. Jimmie Cross
• (Martha vs his Men) (8, 11)
• Ted Lavender
• (extra ammo, dope, tranquilizers) (6)
• Norman Bowker
• (pressure from dad to earn a medal) (34)

5
Superstitions

• Jimmy Cross Pebble from Martha
• Dave Jensen Rabbits foot
• Henry Dobbins Girlfriends stockings
• Kiowa Bible, hatchet
• Norman Bowker Thumb from corpse

6
Attitudes about Death

• Use Harsh, Crude language
• Ted Lavender was zapped while zipping
  (16).
• Make Jokes
• Kick or mutilate corpses
• Cant show fear, sadness, or remorse
• What happens to Teds dope? (19-20)
• Appreciation for still being alive
• (Kiowa enjoyed not being dead) (17).

7
Jimmy Cross Begins Changing

• Feels extreme GUILT over Ted Lavenders death.
• Burns Marthas Letter Pictures
• Realizes Marthas True Feelings (23)
• As a moral obligation to Ted Lavender, focuses on
  becoming a better leader (24)

8
3 Final Considerations!

• 1. Besides the physical things, what emotional
  burdens do these guys carry? (20)
• 2. Why is the appearance of a warm dense fog
  (16) important in this story?
• 3. What do the initials in the name
• Jimmy Cross suggest about the burden he
  carries?