Characters of Alpha Company

1. The author, Tim O'Brien takes personal experience and changes it for the sake of fiction, not unlike playwrights who take dramatic license to make a play more entertaining. In changing his experiences for the sake of fiction, O'Brien hopes to hold the readers' attention so as to better understand the emotions involved in the initial experience. In the story, "On the Rainy River" O'Brien's character had a gruesome (and deliberately symbolic) job during the summer, before he went to war. What was it? How might it be symbolic? If the character had done something else, would it have been as emotionally riveting to the reader? Explain

1. Note the dedication to the book. To whom has the author dedicated his book? Why? What do you believe it says about the author that he has dedicated his book to a company of fictional characters?

2. O'Brien (the narrator/character) reveals that he succumbed to pressure and fear of shame and that in so doing his brought to Vietnam. Do any of the other characters listed in the dedication respond to societal pressure or peer pressure in a similar way? Explain.

3. O'Brien speaks of his feelings of shame at the end of "Rainy River." How could his own feelings of embarrassment effect the manner in which he presents his companions of Alpha Company? Is he more or less sympathetic to them because of his own experience? Why? OR Why not?

4. In what way does Kiowa misinterpret Cross' reaction to Lavendar's death? How does Kiowa react to Lavendar's death? What is Norman Bowker's complaint to Kiowa?

5. What gesture does Martha make that suggests that she has experienced a traumatic experience that has changed her permanently?

6. Each man carries his basic gear and items which help him endure the Vietnamese tour of duty. What does Kiowa carry? Rat Kiley? What do their possessions reveal about each man?

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