Characterization - The Things They Carried
Generally, authors achieve characterization through three techniques with a direct connection to narrative point of view:
Direct characterization - overt presentation of characters and their traits, achieved as exposition from an omniscient point of view
Character in action - showing a character engaged in activity, speech and reactions
Internal characterization - a character's own thoughts or feelings, achieved through first person point of view, and without comment by the narrator
Remember that characters often symbolize an aspect of war and might be used to represent a larger idea or understanding.
Task: Follow your character as he journeys through war and at home. To be successful, follow the checklist below:
Direct characterization - overt presentation of characters and their traits, achieved as exposition from an omniscient point of view
Character in action - showing a character engaged in activity, speech and reactions
Internal characterization - a character's own thoughts or feelings, achieved through first person point of view, and without comment by the narrator
Remember that characters often symbolize an aspect of war and might be used to represent a larger idea or understanding.
Task: Follow your character as he journeys through war and at home. To be successful, follow the checklist below:
- I can identify specific moments in the short stories in which my character is featured.
- I can explain the role that my character plays in each story.
- I can identify specific character traits and find quotations to support my ideas.
- I can explain the greater purpose of my character and what he symbolizes within the book as a whole.
Jimmy Cross - Evelina
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Ted Lavender - Zak
Chapter Title and Role in the story
-The Things They Carried: Introduced as scared and cautious character that is killed. Carries extra ammo and tranquilizers. -Spin: Laid back, relaxed supporting where narrator is discussing the non-violent side of war. Adopts a puppy before Azar blows it up with a claymore. Quotations with analysis -The Things They Carried page 3: “Until he was shot, Ted Lavender carried 6 or 7 ounces of premium dope, which for him was a necessity” This shows that Ted Lavender needed the calm and the peace that the dope gave him. This creates a link between Ted Lavender and calmness because it shows that he was dependent on it. This also shows that Ted Lavender was dependent on the escape that the dope gave him from the war. -The Lives of the Dead page 226: “When Ted Lavender was shot in the head, the men talked about how they’d never seen him so mellow, how tranquil he was, that it wasn’t the bullet but the tranquillisers that blew his mind. He wasn’t dead, just laid back” - This shows that calmness was a large part of Ted Lavender’s character because it is what the rest of the soldiers talked about after he died, it is what he was remembered for. This links Ted Lavender to calmness and peace because it shows that this was a part of him. Character Traits -Scared from war, takes extra precautions and tries to calm self using tranquilizers (The things they carried) -Relaxed, “mellow” because of tranquillizers Purpose and Symbolism -Symbol of calm and casualness, shown by his relaxed attitude. His death in the story represents the death of calmness and entering struggle. -Used to show the loss of relaxation and comfort in war. In its place is violence, hostility and caution. |
Henry Dobbins - Julie
Chapter Title and Role in the Story
The Things They Carried Henry Dobbins is introduced as the person to hold trait of the weaponry and finds comfort and protection holding these items, which makes him seem more tough. In addition to this, the reader gets a sense that he's very big in terms of muscle and body built. Another one of Dobbins's ways of comfort is an underwear from his girlfriend that he has carried around his neck as a piece of reminder from the life he has left behind at home and this is the memory that he wants to remember. Love Although Henry Dobbins may be described as a big man that is in charge of weaponry and tunnel duties, in this chapter we get the sense that he is an emotional guy who keeps onto the love he left behind at home and keeps that as a sense of hope that he will survive. Spin Character Traits
Quotations With Analysis pg.5 - “a big man” This describes the physical appearance of Dobbins in the view of the other men in the story as well as a view for the reader. pg. 9 - "...carried his girlfriend’s pantyhose wrapped around his neck", this lets the reader know of Henry Dobbins' past life and that he holds onto women as a memory of the life he had left behind. |
Norman Bowker - Chris
Character Title and Role in the Story ‘Speaking of Courage’ - Norman Bowker is shown as being one of many examples of soldiers who are not able to simply fit back into society (which seems to have moved on without him), whilst constantly creating hypothetical conversations as a product of his stories and the burden war has been on him, emphasizing his loneliness and the fact that he is incapable of talking about the war. He also finds himself guilty of not saving Kiowa in the ‘Shit Field’. ‘Notes’ - Norman Bowker kills himself due to his inability to cope with life after having been through the war. Character traits - Lonely - Unable to talk about the war - Faces the inability to live on after the war - Talks about being guilty of not saving Kiowa Quotations with analysis page 143 - ‘Circling the lake, Norman Bowker remembered how his friend Kiowa had disappeared under the waste and water. “I didn’t flip out,” he would’ve said. “I was cool. If things had gone right, if it hadn’t been for that smell, I could’ve won the Silver Star”. Norman Bowker is circling the lake, a way of passing time whilst he constantly summarizes his dilemma and hypothetical conversations. “I could’ve won the Silver Star” shows his inability to get over the fact of the matter and feels a sense of guilt, that it’s his fault and that he had not been courageous enough. Even when this chapter / time is set post-war, he still remains lonely and reminiscent. Purpose and symbolism Norman Bowker is a symbol for many of those soldiers who were not able to make that transition back in to society and normal living (unlike Tim O’ Brien). He is an example of somebody who is lonely and unable to cope with the mental scarring from the war, which in turn was also a very unpopular war. At the end of the chapter ‘Speaking of Courage’, Norman Bowker jumps in the lake, and this can be symbolic of Kiowa’s death in the shit field (something in which Bowker thought he was guilty of). Him jumping in the lake is almost a way of reliving that moment however, in a ritualistic sense, cleansing himself. |
Rat Kiley - Emily
Character Triats
-love to tell stories -makes up lots of details -to make the stories more interesting and adventurous -Like Tim O'Brien he is flexible about telling the war story -gives readers another perspective of the war -always interrupts himself when telling a story 'The thing -he is a medic -brings every medical stuff -plus comic books and m&ms Chapter Title and Role in the story Purpose and Symbolism The purpose of the presence of Rat is to show that people love exaggerating when telling a war story to make it more interesting, thus the details of the 'true war' story may not be 100% true in fact the book suggests that it cannot be absolutely real. Quotations and analysis |
Tim O'Brien - Mimi
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Mitchell Sanders - Arun
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Kiowa - Juan
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Curt Lemon - Sam
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Azar - Alex
Character Title and Role in the Story
One of the soldiers from the Alpha Company, that represents the insensitivity and coldness of the war, due to his "sadistic" nature. Character traits
An immature, blunt, insensitive young soldier that is ignorant towards others and creates mischief, but in reality is unstable, leading to the fact that his cruelty is actually a defence mechanism. Quotations with analysis
Pg. 35 // Spin - "until the day Azar strapped the puppy to a Clay more antipersonnel mine and squeezed the firing device." - This illustrates Azar's views on moral standards, which Azar lacks. "Like when Azar blew away Ted Lavender's puppy. "What's everybody so upset about" Azar said. "I mean, Christ, I'm just a boy" ". - Azar probably blew up the puppy as a result of being unable to cope with stress, but uses his "immaturity" and "youth" as an excuse for his actions. Pg. 129-130 // Style - "That night, after we'd marched away from the smoking village, Azar mocked the girl's dancing. He did funny jumps and spins. He put the palms of his hands against his ears and danced sideways for a while, and then backwards, and then did an erotic thing with his hips". - In this chapter, Azar is mocking a Vietnamese girl that was dancing after her village and family is destroyed. Azar consistently kept on asking "Why's she dancing", which shows how he was disturbed, but covers it up by mocking her dance. Purpose and symbolism
The purpose of Azar to be incorporated into The Things They Carried, shows how the war can affect people as well as change people. He provides a sense of comedic relief to ease hardship and troubles in the war towards the other soldiers, as well as relieving his own tension and anxieties. For example, by mocking the little girl's dance in the chapter Style. But in reality, is affected by the Vietnam War as much as the other soldiers. |