LIT 127: Introduction to Fiction
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The Things They Carried

 
 
Directions:  In the appropriate conference on our class WebBoard, discuss one or all of the following.
  1. What do you see as the theme of "The Things They Carried?"
  2. Look at three of the literal things the men carried. What is their significance to the men? What is their significance in the story?
  3. Look a three of the figurative things the men carried. Why do they carry them? How do they contribute to the theme of the story?
  4. If you have not already discussed it, what was Martha's significance in the story? How did it change as the story progressed?
  5. One of the common themes of Vietnam stories is that Vietnam was fundamentally different from other wars. How does "TTHC" show, or not show, this theme?
  6. How does Tim O'Brien's non-fiction account of his time in Vietnam affect your reading of the story?
 

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