Question: In what sense does Jimmy love Martha? why does he construct this elaborate, mostly fictional, relationship with her: what does he get out of it?

Answer: Jimmy loves Martha in all ways. He constructs this elaborate, fictional, relationship with her because it makes the war easier. He gets hope out of it.

Question: Why do the soldiers make jokes about the war and about killing?

Answer: The soldiers make jokes because it makes it easier to bare the war but also because they are afraid of fear so they’d rather laugh it off.

Question: How is the idea of weight used in the story?

Answer: The idea of weight is used physically and mentally. Physically: the actual amount of wight and things they carried with them.

Mentally: the memories, tragedies, jokes and all of the damage they actually have to bring everywhere with them.

Question: How has Jimmy changed by the end of the story? how will he be a different person from this point on? What has he learned about himself/ what has he lost or gained?

Answer:

Question: What does Jimmy ask Tim to do when he writes the story?

Answer: Jimmy asks Tim to make him look like a good guy

Question: What does Jimmy tell Tim not to mention?

Answer: We don’t actually know but we assume that its the death of Ted Lavender.

Question: What does it tell us about Tim O’Brien, the narrator, that he reveals character traits of Cross’s that Cross would prefer to have remain unknown?

Answer: It tells us that the traits of Cross are very specific and Tim wants us as the readers to understand the hardships and the things that each different person carried.

Question: What do we learn about Azar’s character in this story?

Answer: We learn that he does love kids but he is mentally unstable.

Question: How was the war not like a game of checkers?

Answer: War is not like checkers because in checker there is a winner, a loser and rules. In war there is not. Your enemy is visible. Your on a grid

Question: How did the “old poppa-san” help the platoon? What was his special skill?

Answer: Old Poppa-San help the platoon by guiding them through minefields, because he knew where to walk.