Central Idea of the Story
The central idea of the story is to determine why different people carry items that they do. The narrator notes physical objects and metaphysical ideas that the soldiers bring with them. For instance, Lt. Cross carries a tangible picture of Martha and his ephemeral feelings for her at the same time (O’Brien, 1990). Readers learn more about other characters through their belongings, such as Henry Dobbins, who always brings food with him, Kiowa, who bears a hunting ax, and more (O’Brien, 1990). Thus, the author gives each character a unique story and an individual position within the group of soldiers.
Narrative Strategy
The author uses a detailed narration strategy as he includes various concrete details about the soldiers’ lives and feelings in the novel.
Narrator Quotes (QS) #1-2
“With its quilted liner, the poncho weighed almost 2 pounds, but it was worth every ounce. In April, for instance, when Ted Lavender was shot, they used his poncho to wrap him up…” (O’Brien, 1990, p. 368). The Point of View (POV) in the quote is omniscient, as the thoughts and emotions of multiple soldiers are presented. The focus of the novel is physical, as the author describes characters’ interactions with their environment through the items that they carry. Therefore, the poncho is an object that helps readers to learn more about the characters through the way they used it in the story. The technique used by the author is narrative framing because readers see a story that is referring to another story. Thus, the narrative about the death of a soldier is supporting the illustration of a poncho.
The quote presents an objective view; therefore, it is an understated point within the Central Idea of the story, which leaves room for interpretation within conflict development.
Narrator Quotes (QS) #3-4
“…Strunk made that high happy moaning sound, when he went Ahhooooo, right then, Ted Lavender was shot in the head on his way back from peeing” (O’Brien, 1990, p. 374). The POV of this quote is also total omniscient, as it follows multiple characters. The focus of the story is physical, as it described the characters and their surroundings, including the sound they make, their actions, and what happens to them. The technique is based on a distant description of the events in the quote, yet the narrative is speeding up. Readers suddenly, after seeing a fun activity, are presented with the image of death.
The author guides readers towards understanding the spectrum of emotions soldiers are having in the story by placing two different emotions together in the text.
Narrator Quotes (QS) #5-6
“And then velocity – wings and engines – a smiling stewardess – but it was more than a plane, it was a real bird…” (O’Brien, 1990, p. 382). The POV remains totally omniscient because it is the point of view of all soldiers. The focus of the story is conceptual because readers can see the metaphysical image of a bird. The technique the author used is based on a detailed and sequential description, as the description of a plane is followed by the fantasy of a bird.
The quote is developing the central idea of a story, as it helps readers to understand soldiers’ perspective on the equipment they use in combat from a non-tangible side.
Setting QS #7-8
“They carried the land itself – Vietnam, the place, the soil – a powdery orange-red dust that covered their boots and fatigues and faces” …” (O’Brien, 1990, p. 376). The surrounding helps readers better comprehend why soldiers carry certain items, as the description of the warzone gives context.
The quote is presented in the total omniscient POV, as all the characters envision the same setting. The focus of the story is physical because it shows the environment of the soldiers. Lastly, O’Brien is describing the surroundings in detail, therefore, using the technique of emphasis.
References
O’Brien, T. (1990) The things they carried. Broadway Books.