The Things They Carried

So far...

Reading this chapter, I have learned so much about the context of the book. Because the novel is so simple to read, including the simple tone, the meaning of the book seems complex and difficult to interpret or right about. Like in the novel, listing the significance of the chapter helps:

• When the narrator describes the characters of the book, he/she lists them like a restaraunt menu. The format expresses the narrator's flat tone, with occasional small sentences, while listing the characters and what they carry.
• I've also noticed, by the names of the soldiers: the reader can tell, based on the soldiers' full names, that the narrator is more formal; rather, in the imagination world, Martha is just a single name; it is more intimate.
• Imagination, all soldiers take part of, can almost ruin someone's life. Especially, during a time and place like the Vietnam War. However, it allows the soldiers to feel free and hopeful. Since all soldiers take part in their imagination, it's almost like a normal life; they can escape, or escape the war by blowing off their toes.
• Acronyms in the novel are used to display weapons the soldiers carry: LAWs. RPGs. C-4. They all remind me of BlackOps- a game I play on the Wii. When i read the book, i often visualize being in it... based on the game.
• Specific things the soldiers carry can signify their past lives, fears, and courageous actions.
• The setting is depressing. The jungle in Vietnam seems like the scariest place in the world. From the story, the narrator describes the jungle: trench foot, occasional monsoons, unexpected booby traps, and a chance of getting "Zapped while zipping" (Ted Lavender)
• I noticed the short, single sentences at the ends of paragraphs signify a shift. The sentence concludes the previous paragraph.

Highlighting The Signification (the parts of the story i liked)

Jimmy Cross has a mild obsession with his past imagination, Martha. He loves her but she doesn't seem to love him back. Based the narrator's description of the Lieutenant, the only things keeping Jimmy from falling apart is thinking about Martha. He imagines her body parts and stores a pebble (motif) in his mouth as a reminder of her. He even gets jealous from what he thinks she might be doing.

"He wondered who had been with her that afternoon. He imagined a pair of shadows moving along the strip of sand where things came together but also separated. It was phantom jealousy..."

Ted Lavender's death was expressed, in the story, as something that happens to soldiers everyday; it's normal. The soldiers acted like this, but the Lieutenant came to realize that the death was his fault. If it weren't for thinking about Martha, he would have paid more attention to his crew. He cried, something the soldiers don't usually do. And, the soldiers would also make jokes and use harsh words or phrases to express something terrible only to cover up their real emotions.

"There it is, they'd say. Over and over- there is is, my friend, there it is- as if repetition itself were an act of poise...meant be cool, let it ride..."