Tim O-Brien-s -The Things They Carried-- A Study Guide from Gale-s -Short Stories for Students- (Vol Description:

Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried": A Study Guide from Gale's "Short Stories for Students" (Volume 05, Chapter 17) review:
3 stars (Danielle's summary review) - The things they carried is a great book by Tim O'Brien. Jimmy cross has a crush on a college girl named Martha, he knows she will never return his love because she majors in English and went to a movie on a single date to see Bonnie and Clyde and he put his hand on her knee and she looked at him and ordered him to pull his hand back. Now cross is in Vietnam and he really misses martha. The things that that they carried in thier packs depended on what kind of constitutions and personalities they had, like marijuana, bug repellant etc.. The stronger men got to carry the guns. Cross was the map keeper and basically had to protect his men. Lavender got shot, but cross didnt really care because he was focused to much on Martha and how much that he missed her. The things they carried is basically and introspective memory story and self-conscious examination of the methods and reasons behind storytelling. The narrator is unreliable; he speaks of the necessity of blurring truth and fiction in a true war story. The settings are during the late 1960's and late 1900's in Vietnam and Massachussets. The major conflict is the men of the Alpha Company, especially Tim O'Brien, grapple with the effects - both immediate and long term - of the vietnam war. Themes are physical and emotional burdens;fear of shame as motivation; the subjection of truth to storytelling.
5 stars (The Things They Carried) - This book gives outstanding insight into rhe Vietnam War and the people that served in it. The Things They Carried is a very enjoyable book; after you get through the first 10 or so pages you'll want to read the whole thing. I'm not normally into reading books, but I really liked this book and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a well told set of stories. Meaning, this book isn't just one story, but instead a set of stories told through the eyes of multiple characters. Regardless of whether you like that in a book or not, READ THIS BOOK!