Summary of ‘The Things They Carried’ in 8 Minutes

[@leatherneck225]

I was forever moved by The Things They Carried when I read it. And then I joined the military. And although I never was in combat, I understood why the author chose the title to emphasize the figurative and literal things they carried. I really appreciated this thoughtful examination of the book.

[@SaraHouck461]

I figure that's why Tim O'Brien deliberately intended to have his profanity-laced masterpiece studied and analyzed by school teens now that study guides of such have recently materialized. I admittedly wasn't too thrilled over having to go through such an experience myself, mainly because I was more of a girly girl who was strongly urged to behave like a goody-two-shoes after having to deal with numerous timeouts during my elementary school years.

[@Ereheru]

This is quite a powerful story. I remember there was a part where he talked about the men discarding things when the knew there was going to be a resupply, just dropping them on the ground as they marched, and then at the end he talks about how he was going to do that with the stone that Martha gave him, but that he would also make them men stop dropping the excess supplies, which I took as a nod to him deeming his love for Martha as something that had no value in the warzone. I also felt his preoccupation with her virginity as a need to believe there was something pure in a world, a heaven to make his life in the hell of war tolerable, though he would often speak of how futile his feelings were, since he knew that Martha didn't actually love him romantically. I was born during the Vietnam war, I remember seeing the footage on the news and wondered if I would have to go to war when I grew up. My birthday is on April 16th, so the fact that I was eating cake somewhere far away while this was supposed to be happening made it resonate with me all the more. Thank you for doing this video, and I look forward to your next one.

[@bookritique5423]

You brought up such great points!!! I need to start consulting you before I make a video lol. I feel like I still had so much to say when this video was over, but I had to keep it short. His obsession with her virginity is so creepy at first but then as you get to know his character you see how it is about so much more than that. Great points and I’m happy that you like this story too!

[@Ereheru]

@@bookritique5423 Well, I did cheat a bit and read the next chapter where you learn a bit about her, how she was a nurse and had been Lutheran missionary, so that informed my thoughts on it a bit (I thought it was a bit creepy too at first). Keep up the great work!

[@bitingismyspeciality]

omg my birthday is april 16 too, so I felt the same way as you

[@djabcool134]

I'm in an English 102 class and this helped me get a quick on refresh on what happened in the book. It was an amazing short story!

[@SaraHouck461]

Good, because I'm glad this profanity-laced masterpiece has been mercifully defended as required curricular material that I admittedly wasn't too thrilled over having to experience at first! I had a strange feeling that the curriculum was somehow being provided with a "cool factor" to appease any of those so-called "bad to the bone" rebels who can get away with cussing scot free since that type of behavior is typically classified as disorderly conduct according to student handbooks.

[@MartinBraonain]

This was used as part of a revision lesson for students in New Zealand. Thanks:)

[@TomCatTheCatMan]

I see this is not an active channel but I still gave you a like and sub, I just found out about this book while watching videos on the current conflict in Ukraine and nothing blows me away more than war stories, to me it doesn't get more real than the heaviness of being in a foreign land fighting and killing people you have no personal grievances with and knowing each step or breath could be your last. Your best friends were strangers mere days ago but you're ready to put your life on the line for theirs .. that's gritty and I think that if more people understood these stories better or were able to put themselves there and truly feel Lavenders death then as a species we could begin to move away from this way of coexisting. Thank you for this video, it's the one that is making my next move the purchase of the book. I'm a physical media person myself so I like to research a little before I commit to buying but I think it's worth having in the collection. Thanks again

[@jackhe972]

Amazing video. The things they carried was one of my favorite books that I read 15 years ago. I've forgotten all the details but watching this video brought all the emotions back, which is what I think O'Brien hoped for. You should definitely do a video for the whole book and the literary concepts that made the book leave an imprint after reading.

[@grafffuller3265]

Wow, another great explanation to a story I'd never heard of. Being a son of a man who fought in Viet Nam, this was interesting to listen to. I've been interested in this particular war all my life. I watched The Deer Hunter, Platoon and Full Metal Jacket with my Da. Because these film talk about different aspects of how this war (police action) and how it effected their lives, we were able to talk about certain issues. My Da was at Da Nang during the Tet Offensive (1968)...so a very tense period of this conflict. As a child I asked stupid questions about how many people he killed and such, but as I got older, I saw how it changed him. Of course, I never knew him before the war, but he even expressed obliquely how he had to change to survive what that experience did to him and all that were there. Thanks for doing these videos. I hope kids that are school aged will benefit correctly from your ability to boil things down to the essentials. Well done.

[@bookritique5423]

Thanks for sharing about your father’s experiences in the war. My grandmother’s husband was a veteran and I used to ask the same questions when I was a kid. It isn’t until I was much older that I began to even somewhat grasp what he went through. It’s a good book, there is another great short story that’s more gruesome called, “How To Tell a True War Story” that you might like. I linked to the pdf in the description.

[@grafffuller3265]

@@bookritique5423 I just finished the sequel to the book I am still reading (odd, but REALLY doesn't matter). The Greatest Generation is a book about the generation of men and women that went thru the great depression and fought in WWII and how they survived and prospered. It is written by Tom Brokaw. I like to read audiobooks while I'm reading the eBooks, this time I got pnkd. The audiobook is called The Greatest Generation Speaks. I just thought he was playing with the word speaks bc he made it an audiobook, but NO, it is the sequel to his first book, but is also filled with great stories from the actual letters and interviews of the people who went through the war. I bought them bc of you and Dakota's recommendation to watch the Band of Brothers (thank you). I got the off file. I will especially read the How to Tell a True War Story. Thank you.

[@ShirleyTimple]

Great book. I enjoyed the entire book immensely, but the chapter you focused on is very powerful.

[@tonertunez4939]

Omg thank you I’m starting this for english 11😫

[@isabelcunha1942]

It’s a shame you don’t have the written part of your excellent analysis.

[@summergrace932]

thank you this was so helpful

[@georgetucker7612]

Yess another video

[@med1na33]

Very nice job

[@nathanzebedee5263]

Jesus Christ love you!

[@godfirst6473]

Yess he does

[@godfirst6473]

And he loves you too

[@michellew4634]

loved this!

[@MrUndersolo]

He wrote the best book about the war, in my opinion. Thank you for this one (try "July, July"). You can listen to the audio book version to hear the pronunciations of the different places (I heard a version read by Bryan Cranston of "Breaking Bad"). Oh, and a new sub!

[@morrisonbibi3087]

Helpful video thanks

[@CarlitosIII]

I have a question is this book a ghost story or a love story??? I need help with an essay please read my comment

[@bookritique5423]

Hey! I’m sorry, I just saw this. I don’t think I would call it a love story. I think he was in love with the idea of her, but didn’t really understand her. Like even when she lists the stuff that she is reading for college, it’s pretty complex works, but he doesn’t seem to get that. I wouldn’t call it a ghost story, but if I had to choose between the two, I would choose that because it’s like his guilt over losing Ted Lavender is haunting him. Does that help at all? Those are just my opinions and I don’t think that any choice is either correct or incorrect.

[@CarlitosIII]

@@bookritique5423 thank you for responding to my comment like the whole book is it a love or ghost story?? I have a feeling it’s a ghost is that right ?!?!!?

[@bookritique5423]

Oh, the whole book is different. I can see an argument being made for either honestly. I think I would use a lot of stuff from “How to Tell a True War Story” and make the The argument for ghost.

[@CarlitosIII]

@@bookritique5423 thank you very much for helping imma write it as a ghost story. Thank you 🙏

[@bookritique5423]

@@CarlitosIII no problem, hope you get top marks! 💯👏