The Things They Carried

The Things They Carried is a collection of related vignettes by Tim O'Brien, about a squad of American soldiers in the Vietnam War, originally published in hardcover by Houghton Mifflin, 1990. While apparently based on some O'Brien's own experiences, the title page refers to the book as "a work of fiction."

Before publication in 1990, five of the stories, including "The Things They Carried," "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," "The Ghost Soldiers," and "The Lives of the Dead," had been published in Esquire Magazine. "On The Rainy River" first appeared in Playboy Magazine.

Although the plots of the individual stories center on the various main characters (Kiowa, Rat Kiley, Ted Lavender, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross) including a protagonist with the same name as the author, some of the so-called facts of the stories contradict each other, making it rather difficult to determine an objective and fixed plotline that connects all of stories together into a single narrative.

In the short story, "Good Form," the narrator makes a distinction between "story truth" and "happening truth." O'Brien feels that the idea of creating a story that is technically false yet truthfully portrays war, as opposed to just stating the facts and creating no emotion in the reader, is the correct way to clear his conscience and tell the story of thousands of soldiers who were forever silenced by society. Critics often cite this disctinction when commenting on O'Brien's artistic aims in The Things They Carried and, in general, all of his fiction about Vietnam, claiming that O'Brien feels that the realities of the Vietnam War are best explored in fictional form rather than the presentation of so-called facts.

Characters

• Tim O'Brien - The protagonist in a handful of chapters, Tim O'Brien the soldier should not be confused with the author, Tim O'Brien, and near the end of the novel, Timmy. Although Tim is part of the Alpha Company, he chooses to leave himself out of the novel except in a few choice locations.
• Kiowa - Native American Baptist devoted to Christianity who often listens to and provides advice to Tim and refers to the decency that religion has taught him.
• Lieutenant Jimmy Cross - Protagonist of the title story, The Things They Carried, Cross is the leader of the squad. He is obsessed with his love at home, Martha, and later believes that his obsession led to the death of Ted Lavender. He also decides to camp the team one day on a sewage field in Speaking of Courage, and this move leads to the death of Kiowa.
• Bob "Rat" Kiley - A young medic whose exaggerations are complemented by his occasional cruelty. He enjoys comic books.
• Norman Bowker - The horror described in the chapter In the Field continues to haunt Norman at home as he realizes that the world has moved on past the war and wants nothing to do with the unpicturesque stories the tragic battles in Vietnam.
• Henry Dobbins - A man who, despite having a rather large frame, is gentle and kind. He is very superstitious, and as a result, wears his girlfriend's stockings around his neck as a protective charm even after she dumps him.
• Mitchell Sanders - He is a relatively kind soldier who is contemptuous of Cross's decision to camp in a sewage field, which caused Kiowa's death.
• Ted Lavender - He dies in the very first chapter from a gunshot wound to the face. He is notorious for using tranquilizers to cope with the pain of the war, and for carrying a stash of marijuana with him.
• Curt Lemon - a good freind of Rat Kiley. Dies when he is blown up by a mine.
• Azar - a complete jackass.
• Dave Jensen - a minor soldier. He and Lee Strunk are the main charecters of the chapters "Enemies" and "Freinds"
• Lee Strunk - a minor soldier. He and Dave Jensen are the main charecters of the chapters "Enemies" and "Freinds"
• Bobby Jorgenson - Rat Kiley's replacement after he gets hurt.

Contents of The Things They Carried

• "The Things They Carried"
• "Love"
• "Spin"
• "On the Rainy River"
• "Enemies"
• "Friends"
• "How to Tell a True War Story"
• "The Dentist"
• "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong"
• "Stockings"
• "Church"
• "The Man I Killed"
• "Ambush"
• "Style"
• "Speaking of Courage"
• "Notes"
• "In the Field"
• "Good Form"
• "Field Trip"
• "The Ghost Soldiers"
• "Night Life"
• "The Lives of the Dead"

See also: The Things They Carried, 1990, Esquire Magazine, Playboy Magazine, Tim O'Brien (author), United States, Vietnam War, Vignette