The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien

Study Questions for Part 2

"On the Rainy River"

  1. How did Tim feel about the Vietnam War while he was at college?
  2. On pg. 40, what does he mean by "dominoes"? (hint: what was the "domino theory"?)
  3. What was Tim’s job in the summer of 1968?
  4. What were Tim’s options once he received his draft notice?
  5. Who did he hold responsible for his situation?
  6. Who did he think should go to war instead of him?
  7. What did he do at work when he decided to leave?
  8. What does Tim say is Elroy Berdhal’s role in his life?
  9. What sort of person was Elroy? How did Tim know?
  10. What was the financial deal Elroy made with Tim?
  11. Where did Elroy take Tim & Elroy on the 6th day?
  12. What typical images of boyhood did Tim remember about himself while on the river?
  13. Who are the following people: LBJ, Abbie Hoffman, Jane Fonda as Barbarella?
  14. What was Elroy Berdhal’s role that day?
  15. What did Tim end up doing about his situation?

"Enemies"

  1. Who broke whose nose?
  2. What was the effect of the fight on Jensen?
  3. What did Jensen finally do to resolve the conflict between them?

"Friends"

  1. What was the pact that Dave Jensen & Lee Strunk made together?
  2. What happened to Lee Strunk?
  3. What was he afraid of when he saw Jensen, and what did he make him promise?

"How to Tell a True War Story"

  1. What happens when you "send guys to war"?
  2. What were Curt Lemon and Rat Kiley doing when Curt stepped on the land mine?
  3. How does O’Brien describe Lemon’s death on pg. 70?
  4. Why is it difficult "to separate what happened from what seemed to happen"?
  5. What was the mission of the patrol that went up to the mountains?
  6. What did they hear while they were there?
  7. What did they end up doing about it?
  8. On pg. 76, what does Mitchell Sanders say is the moral of his story?
  9. What does Sanders later admit about his story?
  10. What happened to the VC water buffalo?
  11. What did Rat do afterwards?
  12. What does "proximity to death" bring with it?
  13. On pg. 82, what is the "only certainty"?
  14. What wakes Tim up at night 20 years later?
  15. What did Tim think Curt Lemon must’ve thought killed him?
  16. What does the nice middle-aged woman think Tim should do?
  17. What does he want to say to her about the baby buffalo, and everything else in the story?
  18. According to O’Brien, what is a true war story NEVER about?