The Lives of the Dead

"Sitting there in the back seat, I wanted to find some way to let her know how I felt, a compliment of some sort, but all I could manage was a stupid comment about the cap. 'Jeez,' I must've said, 'what a cap'" (pg 217).

The final chapter was my favorite BY FAR! I wish Tim O'Brien would write a novel entirely about Linda. Their relationship is adorable and touching. He couldn't have ended the novel in a better way. This quote shows his youthful innocence. He has no idea why Linda is wearing that cap; all he knows is that he loves her and thinks she looks beautiful in it. I could have killed Nick Veenhof when he pulled her cap off. She's just a sick little girl that is trying to go on with life as best as possible, and he has to embarrass her like that. Considering he was a child and had no idea what he was doing makes it better, but I couldn't believe it. Then after she dies, Tim goes to sleep just so he can be with her! It's precious. That is something that could honestly make me cry. All in all, I liked "The Things They Carried" so much more than "The Sun Also Rises." Kudos O'Brien! Try again Hemingway!

Night Life

"The next morning he shot himself. He took off his boots and socks, laid out his medical kit, doped himself up, and put a round through his foot. Nobody blamed him, Sanders said" (pg 212).

Once again, it is an example of the war getting to him. He comes up with the idea that the bugs are after him and even scratches himself until he scabs up. He can't sleep at night, because he thinks of human organs and his own insides. It's a disturbing thought. Everyone understands what he's going through, so when he shoots himself in the foot, nobody says anything. The lieutenant even says he'll vouch that it was an accident. It's part of that unity and the bond that has grown between their platoon. Rat Kiley was a good medic, but it was time for him to move on!

The Ghost Soldiers

"I didn't complain. In an odd way, though, there were times when I missed the adventure, even the danger, of the real war out in the boonies" (pg 183).



I feel like no matter how much you hate something or someone, if there is part of you that likes it in any way, you will miss it when it's gone. For instance, there's this really annoying boy at my work, and I hadn't seen him for awhile because he was in season for a sport, and I actually started to miss him being around. It's weird. I never would have guessed that would happen. And it seems like whenever my friends and I look back, we think about all the fun things we have done and we start to miss it. But when it is actually happening, we somewhat take it for granted. It sounds cliche, but it makes me think of the song "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw. Live every day to the fullest.

Field Trip

"Like coming over here. Some dumb thing happens a long time ago and you can't ever forget it" (pg 175).

This quote shows the ignorance and innocence of youth. I don't know if innocence makes sense, but I think it does partially. Kathleen is only ten years old and has no idea what her father has been through. She thinks it's "weird" that he thinks about it all the time, but who can blame him. He witnessed and took part in a lot of crazy things in Vietnam. It's a big part of his life. It makes me wonder if I don't know about something major in my parents life. It also makes me think about what my children will think about what I find important when I grow up.

In the Field

"Wasted in the waste" (pg 158).

It seems like some sort of figurative language, but it's the honest to God truth. As Azar so brutally put it, Kiowa was wasted in the waste. He was sucked under while sleeping, and no one was able to save him. It seems unreal. You've heard of people being taken under by quick sand, even that's rare. But you never hear of someone being engulfed into a big lake of feces... It is not only terribly sad, it's disgusting. I cannot imagine. He must've drowned, which means the liquid went into his lungs and every crevice and opening of his body. It could make me vomit.

Notes

"Eight months later he hanged himself" (pg 154).



I hate to say it, but I totally saw this coming. Norman Bowker drives around the lake by himself 11 times or more, retelling war stories in his head, imagining people's responses. He doesn't know how to live in the regular world anymore. It would have most benefited him to go back into the army, even if there is no war going on at the moment. It would make him feel like he had a purpose. He didn't even know how to interact with people anymore. It was as if he expected the world to have paused when he went into the army, and when he came back, he could press play and just jump back into his old world. Unfortunately, that's not how things work. Life goes on. His inability to cope with life after war allowed me to foreshadow him killing himself in the future.

Speaking of Courage

"On the lake side of the road, where real estate was most valuable, the house were handsome and set deep in, well kept and brightly painted, with docks jutting out into the lake, and boats moored and covered with canvas, and neat gardens, and sometimes even gardeners, and stone patios with barbecue spits and grills, and wooden shingles saying who lived where. On the other side of the road, to his left, the houses were also handsome, though less expensive and on smaller scale and with no docks or boats or gardeners" (pg 132).

In chapter 15, we are able to see little bit of the local color of Norman Bowker's hometown. We hear about the landscape of the town. One road is divided in half with one half being upper class and the other half being more middle class. It's crazy how on literally the same road, things can be so different. I mean I guess it's not that different, but there are definitely noticeable distinctions between each side. It makes me wonder if the people got along on both sides, or if the people on the wealthier side thought they were better. It makes me curious. I have never witnessed a road like this. Although my pictures probably don't accurately depict the road at all, this is how I imagine it.

Ambush

"It was entirely automatic. I did not hate the young man; I did not see him as the enemy; I did not ponder issues of morality or politics or military duty" (pg 126).

Killing is part of the job description when it comes to being a soldier in a war. Everyone knows that. O'Brien's dialect makes it even more real. It's not that you hate the other person, it's just your duty as a soldier to kill the "enemy." I can't speak from experience, because obviously I don't have any, but it probably would become something like a reflex. There's no time to think; he must obey his obligation to our country. I don't think I could ever be a soldier for that reason. It takes great courage and self control to be a soldier, and I don't think I could handle it. That's why we love our soldiers!

The Man I Killed

"You want to trade places with him? Turn it all upside down--you want that? I mean, be honest" (Pg 120).



Kiowa was just trying to make O'Brien feel better by saying this, but when it comes down to it, it's a really hard concept to think about. You're in a war and you kill a man. That's kind of what war's all about, right? Well I would be with O'Brien on this one. I would feel terrible killing another human being under almost any condition, even if I'm fighting in a war. Kiowa was trying to use rhetoric I believe. He wanted to persuade him that he did the right thing.Would you rather die fighting for your country or kill someone fighting for your country. Either way it sucks. Either you live knowing that you ended someone's life. (Who knows who that person was, what accomplishments they may achieve, or who their family is at home.) Or you die. Which one would you chose?

Church

"Though they were kind to all of us, they monks took a special liking for Henry Dobbins. 'Soldier Jesus,' they'd say, 'good soldier Jesus'" (pg 114).

I hate to say it, but even though it's wrong to pick favorites, everyone does it. Even MONKS! Reminds me of a teacher's pet. Although it was a very long time ago, I was indeed the teacher's pet in the first grade! Good times... Anyways, it's sad to say, but people even pick favorite's in families: favorite aunt, favorite cousin, favorite sister, favorite nephew, etc. So the monks choose Dobbins. This special treatment makes him consider joining a monostary. I don't know if this is the Catholic church, or if it has the same concept, but he is the same guy that wears his girlfriend's pantyhose around his neck. In the Catholic church, you have to take a vow of chastity. So these two sides are contradicting. I'm not sure if this makes sense, but it is somewhat juxtaposing. It shows his love for a woman in one chapter, then his consideration of becoming a monk and secluding himself from women.

Stockings

"In August, he tripped a Bouncing Betty, which failed to detonate. And a week later he got caught in the open during a fierce little firefight, no cover at all, but he just slipped the pantyhose over his nose and breathed deep and let the magic do its work. It turned us into a platoon of believers. You don't dispute facts" (pg 112).

As Michael Scott would say, "I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious." Therefore, I would become a believer too. You really can't fight facts. I think it would be awesome if Henry Dobbins' girlfriend's pantyhose did have magical powers. It goes against science and whatnot, but hey, if it works, it works. I have had good luck charms in my life, and I truly believe that they have helped me. The pantyhose are like a symbol of safety and comfort. They make him feel like he has a reason to live for. I bet every man in that platoon wishes he had a pair of his girlfriend's pantyhose to keep him safe in battle. Who wouldn't want that? (;

Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong

"From the sixth grade on they had known for a fact that someday they would be married, and live in a fine gingerbread house near Lake Erie, and have three healthy yellow-haired children, and grow old together, and no doubt die in each other's arms and be buried in the same walnut casket" (pg 90).

What a great feeling that would be to feel like you have found your soulmate. This is "The Notebook" material, dying in each other's arms- how delightful! Sadly, everything has to come to an end. For Mark Fossie it ended awfully. At first, his princess gets off the helicopter and they spend every waking second together extending their fairy tale life. But eventually, she begins learning things; you can't be in the place of war and not change at all. Mary Anne changed for the worst. She got caught up in the war, and she wanted to be part of it. She found the Green Berets and she decided that was her calling. I feel bad for old Mark. He never thought that would happen when he brought his lady to the war.

The Dentist

"When Curt Lemon was killed, I found it hard to mourn" (pg 82).

I empathize with O'Brien here. I'm not a very emotional person, so I hardly ever cry. I'll think things are sad, but it takes A LOT for me to actually produce tears. I'll even want to cry to show that I am feeling something, but sometimes I just can't. At my best friend's cousin's funeral I only shed a few tears, even though it killed me to see her family going through this pain. Their house is literally my home away from home. I am there probably just as much as I am at my own house. I understand that O'Brien was not the fondest of Curt Lemon, but if a soldier in your brigade dies, it seems like you would feel really bad about it. He wanted to show remourse, but he just can't. I feel him there.

How to Tell a True War Story

"War is hell, but that's not the half of it, because was is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead" (pg 76).

This quote really stood out to me, because I think it is extremely true. Not only about war, but about life. The use of oxymoron after oxymoron gets the point across well. "War is nasty; war is fun." This part reminds me of the "shit field," which is disgusting beyond belief. It also makes me think of their stories. The soldiers love listening to each others stories while partying. "War is thrilling; war is drudgery." O'Brien later speaks of how he misses the action of the war and being part of the unit and the special bond that they share. He also talks about how miserable his pain in his butt is and how he can't sleep on his back anymore. "War makes you a man; war makes you dead." I have never heard war described so accurately before in my life. The valor of fighting for one's country makes one a man, but in the actual fighting, this man may be killed.

Friends

"Dave Jenson and Lee Strunk did not become instant buddies, but they did learn to trust each other" (pg 62).

I find this comical, because I totally understand this. This is a dumb example, but when my ex boyfriend started dating another girl, naturally, I hated her. We had a secret hate for each other, and did little things to show it. Petty, I know! But whatever; it happens to the best of us. In the end, he screwed her over too, so we both hated him. And we created a bond from that. We had a lot more in common than we thought. I mean it's not surprising that he would like similar girls, but we became friends. Sometimes people need to just stop worrying about stupid things on the surface, and eventually look deeper at more important things.

Enemies

"Something must've snapped. One afternoon he began firing his weapon into the air, yelling Strunk's name, just firing and yelling, and it didn't stop until he'd rattled off an entire magazine of ammunition" (pg 60).

The mood of this chapter is so intense that I feel like I am there. I feel like I can totally relate to the anger that he was feeling. Sometimes emotions are like a ticking bomb; eventually, they're going to explode. One can only keep things inside for so long, before they completely go crazy. I have witnessed this happen before in a different way. My friend kept having awful things happen to her, but she stayed strong and never let her pain show. Until one night we were sitting in my room, and she just started bawling uncontrollably. There was nothing I could do or say to make her stop. She just kept rambling on about everything. I was almost afraid to do anything just like O'Brien said their platoon didn't want to stop him. Sometimes you just have to let people go.

On The Rainy River

"It was my view then, and still is, that you don't make war without knowing why" (pg 38).



Growing up in a house where my mother despises war and would never in a million years let my only brother go into the army, I completely agree with this statement. Why go to war if there is not an absolute reason? A misunderstanding is not good enough. It is not fair to take innocent young boys and make them fight in a war. That is why I am glad there hasn't been in a draft for so long. I cannot imagine my classmates being shipped of to Afghanistan and Iraq to fight for our country. I feel like if they don't do it themselves, then how are they supposed to have any motivation to fight. The only motivation they would have would be the desire to win. Someone who willingly signs up to join the army, in my opinion, would be 10x better suited to help win. It should be a personal decision for the man, not something that is forced upon one.

Spin

"On occasion the war was like a ping pong ball" (pg 31).

In every way possible this quote reminded me of Forrest Gump. First of all, because Forrest was an amazing ping pong player. It brought me to the time in the film where all of the soldiers were watching him in amazement. Then to the time when he became a world famous ping pong champion. Secondly, because he was a soldier. And last but not least, because the sentence is a simile. Although this simile doesn't compare to Forrest Gump's famous "Life is like a box of chocolates...," it is still an accurate description of war from what I can infer after reading thus far. It shows how you can look at the war in multiple ways. One could look at it as dreadful, or one could think of all of the fun things they did on the side, or the glory one felt after a victory. I am going to go ahead and mix these two lines and say life is like a ping pong ball. You can be upset with different outcomes, or you can be positive. Look at the glass half full, instead of empty some may say.

Love

"Maybe she'll read it and come begging. There's always hope, right?" (pg 28). Jimmy Cross


Jimmy Cross's love for Martha is completely evident within the first two chapters. I find this somewhat heart-breaking actually, because it reminds me of my friend and her boyfriend. Her boyfriend decided to go into the navy for the next four years, but he wanted to stay together. He was basically asking her to wait for him for and kind of put her life on pause- that's how I took it anyways. He said that even if she broke up with him, when he finished serving his four years, he was going to find her, just to see if she still had the same feelings for him. She was head-over-heals in love with this boy and it was still a hard decision as to whether she should stay with him or if it would be better to break up. I always thought that it would be sad if they broke up, because I knew that she would constantly be on his mind no matter what. This book further increased my suspicion of that happening. Martha seems to only consider Jimmy as a companion, but he takes whatever he can get. He pretends that when she sign's with love that she is actually in love with him. This struggle is like a never ending internal conflict, when he's not fighting, he is thinking about Martha. It makes me feel terrible for the soldiers that have no one waiting for them at home.

The Things They Carried

"Among the necessities or near-necessites were P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two or three canteens of water. Together, these items weighed between 12 and 18 pounds, depending upon a man's habits or rate of metabolism" (pg 2).



As I began reading this book, the first chapter made me believe that it was just going to be fact after fact. I was afraid that there would be no storyline like "Ship Ablaze" and the other fictional novels we had to read in Mrs. Helbing's U.S. History class last year. But, at the same time, the great imagery helped me understand what was physically weighing the soldiers down. I had never really though about how they constantly had to carry everything they needed with them at all times, because at any second they could be moving to another location. It helped me appreciate the fact that I have the option to carry whatever I want with me at all times, and if I needed something I can easily just get it later. Another thing that stuck out to me was the exact measurement each item weighed, and how it was considered silly to bring a letter or something, simply because it would be unnecessary weight. This is actually a quite sad concept in my opinion. I never think about how much something weighs before I throw it in my purse, I just go. Unfortunately, the soldiers cannot be so carefree.