As the nights remain black, Rat sinks further and further down to the point of real fear. Rat was afraid of himself, a much more terrifying enemy than any in Vietnam. He was afraid of what he might do if he truly lost it. Finally, he shoots himself in the foot.
What happens to Rat Kiley by the end of the novel?
In the end, Kiley decides to give himself a minor wound instead of facing the decision of killing or being killed. Read more about Bob “Rat” Kiley.
What happened to Rat In The Things They Carried?
Rat is wounded and sent to Japan. During a tense period, when the platoon is moving only at nights, Rat loses it.
What happens to Rat Kiley Why does Rat Kiley shoot himself?
Lesson Summary
This chapter in Tim O’Brien’s book is told by a narrator, based on what he heard from fellow platoon member Mitchell Sanders. Rat Kiley develops a tenuous grasp on reality because of the things he’s seen in Vietnam, which prompts him to shoot himself in the foot so that he can be sent home.
How did Rat Kiley react to the death of his best friend?
Rat Kiley and Curt Lemon
After Curt dies, Rat struggles to deal with the pain of losing his best friend. O’Brien describes Rat taking out his anger by inflicting pain. He brutally shoots a baby water buffalo in front of the rest of the platoon, who just stand by, watching.
Why did Kiley shoot himself?
In The Things They Carried, Rat Kiley shoots himself in the foot order to get out of fighting. As a result, he is transferred out of the combat zone without causing himself any serious damage.
Why did Rat Kiley M&Ms?
Rat Kiley carries “[all] the things a medic must carry” (5). The medical items he carries mean that he is constantly dealing with blood and guts and gore and wounds, many that he undoubtedly cannot heal or treat, hence the reason for the M&M’s he “carried for especially bad wounds” (5).
Who dies first in The Things They Carried?
Ted Lavender is a young, scared soldier in the Alpha company in Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried. He is the most afraid to die, and dies first.
How did Rat Kiley get out of active duty in the Vietnam?
How did Rat Kiley get out of active duty in the Vietnam? Rat Kiley got out of active duty because he shot himself. Consider the placement of this story in the novel. What is O’Brien’s purpose in including this story so late in the novel and immediately following “The Ghost Soldiers”?
What was Rat Kiley’s way out?
How did Rat Kiley get out of active duty in Vietnam? By shooting himself in the foot.
What did Kiley carry?
The medic, Rat Kiley, carries morphine, malaria tablets, and supplies for serious wounds.
Who dies in the book The Things They Carried?
The collection is haunted by the deaths of O’Brien’s comrades—Ted Lavender, Curt Lemon, and Kiowa.
What does Rat Kiley do after Curt Lemon dies?
A week after his friend is killed, Rat Kiley writes a letter to the friend’s sister, explaining what a hero her brother was and how much he loved him. … O’Brien reveals that Kiley’s friend’s name was Curt Lemon and that he died while playfully tossing a smoke grenade with Rat Kiley, in the shade of some trees.
Where was Rat Kiley during O Brien’s 2nd injury?
After he is wounded the second time he is stationed near the rear of “Headquarters Company” in a much safer and more comfortable company.
How does O’Brien describe Lemon’s death?
O’Brien observes that “when [Lemon] died it was almost beautiful, the way the sunlight came around him and lifted him up and sucked him high into the tree full of moss and vines and white blossoms.” For O’Brien, this impression illustrates that “[i]n any war story, but especially a true one, it’s difficult to separate …
Why is the baby buffalo scene more disturbing?
Compared to the death of Curt Lemon, the death of the baby water buffalo was more disturbing. Tim O’Brien explained the death of the baby water buffalo in more detail that allowed the readers to visualize what was happening in the scene.
Why does Azar say O’Brien was pitiful?
Azar teases O’Brien for being a kid trying to play war games and calls him pitiful, because he’s not a part of the guys that are fighting anymore, and to Azar this looks like him trying to fit in, in a “pitiful” way.
What did Rat keep talking about?
They sleep in the day, which is difficult for Rat, who could feel tension and strain, causing him at first to become quiet and then to become nervous and jumpy. He starts talking about swarms of bugs and the strange strains of bugs in Vietnam.
Who was curt lemon?
Curt Lemon
A childish and careless member of the Alpha Company who is killed when he steps on a rigged mortar round. … The preventability of his death and the irrational fears of his life—as when a dentist visits the company—point to the immaturity of many young American soldiers in Vietnam.
Why did Rat Kiley shoot the water buffalo?
Puppy and Water Buffalo
The puppy and baby water buffalo symbolize innocence and purity. … Later, Rat Kiley shoots a water buffalo to avenge the death of their friend, Curt Lemon. O’Brien narrates how the animal is completely helpless against Rat’s aggression.
What does Elroy do to tempt time to run away?
How long does Tim stay with Elroy at the Tip Top Lodge? … What does Elroy do to tempt Tim to run away? He takes Tim fishing right by the border. Where is the platoon at?
Why would medic carry M&Ms?
During the Vietnam War, he says, medics sometimes used M&Ms as placebos when they ran out of pain medication on the frontlines.
What does M&M stand for quizlet?
Ted Lavender’s death. What does M&M stand for? Candy as a kind of medicine to comfort the badly wounded.
Who carried brass knuckles in The Things They Carried?
Mitchell Sanders carried brass knuckles. Kiowa carried his grandfather’s feathered hatchet. Every third or fourth man carried a Claymore antipersonnel mine—3.5 pounds with its firing device.
Why does the old man remind him of Linda?
Why does the old man remind him of Linda? Because he remembers Linda and how the only dead body he had ever seen before that was Linda’s and it reminded him that she really was dead. … Being in the war and seeing how all the soldiers talk to the dead bodies like they are alive teaches him about death and memory.
What does O’Brien say at the end of the book?
He has kept them alive by writing about them. “I’ll never die,” he writes. “I’m skimming across the surface of my own history…” Tim realizes that while he cannot live forever, he can save his own life by telling the story of what happened to him in Vietnam.
Who is Bobby Jorgenson?
Bobby Jorgenson is the new medic in O’Brien’s squad after Rat is shipped out. O’Brien gets shot and calls for medic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbhW2ukq3YY
Why is the girl dancing and why does she cover her ears?
Perhaps she dances as an escape from her reality; perhaps she dances to deny her reality; or perhaps, as Azar says, she dances a ritual that gives meaning to what has happened. When she covers her ears with her hands, she may be either blocking out sound or acting out an ornate cultural ritual.
What they carried short story?
The Things They Carried (1990) is a collection of linked short stories by American novelist Tim O’Brien, about a platoon of American soldiers fighting on the ground in the Vietnam War. … He was dismayed that people in his home town seemed to have so little understanding of the war and its world.
How effective is Rat Kiley as a storyteller?
Even an unreliable storyteller, as Rat is, can still command the attention and belief of his audience because people like hearing his stories. Rat is well regarded, even though people knew him to exaggerate. … He is a combination of teller and doer, the man who could tell a story as well as patch a wound.
What is Rat Kiley’s reputation?
What was Rat’s reputation among the men of Alpha Company, when it came to telling stories? He always exaggerated about it and overstatement.
Was curt lemon real?
VIETNAM — Curt Lemon was tragically killed in 1970 while he was playing catch with his best mate and fellow soldier, Rat Kiley. Lemon was one of the younger members of the Alpha Company and known for being quite the humorous fellow. One Halloween, he even dressed up and went trick-or-treating near base camp.
Is The Things They Carried a true story?
The Things They Carried is famously a “true” war story drawn from O’Brien’s service in the Vietnam War, featuring events and people that the reader believes or wants to believe are true.
Why did Curt Lemon’s sister not write back?
He write a letter to Lemon’s sister explaining what a hero her brother was and how much he loved him. … His sister never wrote back, probably because she found the letter inappropriate and disturbing. She couldn’t see the fraternal love Rat had for Lemon.
Why did Curt Lemon have his tooth pulled?
The irony of the story is that shortly after he gets up the courage to have a tooth pulled in order to reassure himself of his bravery, he is killed while playing catch with a grenade.
Did Rat Kiley have PTSD?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is very noticeable in all of the men of Alpha Company that Tim O’Brien wrote about in the novel but three men who were extremely affected by serving in Vietnam were Rat Kiley, Norman Bowker, and Ted Lavender.
Where did O’Brien get shot?
By Tim O’Brien. O’Brien gets shot twice in his time in Vietnam. The first time, Rat Kiley is there and takes care of him. O’Brien is sent away to recover and is fine.
What did the guys use next against Jorgensen?
What did the guys use next against Jorgensen? The guys used ten flares on him.