How was Rat Kiley wounded? He shot himself in the foot. What wouldn't the narrator do, despite the urging of the other soldiers? Shake the hand of an old man that was killed in a napalm strike.

How did Rat Kiley get injured?

He begins to see his own. Finally the tension gets to him and he shoots himself in the foot, a war wound that would rotate him out of the combat area. ... We know that Rat Kiley gets "hurt," but we do not know how badly and the nature of the wound.

Why did Rat Kiley wound 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.

How is Rat Kiley wounded in Vietnam?

He says that he is haunted by images of body parts, especially at night. He sees his own body and he imagines bugs chewing through him. The next morning, he shoots himself in the toe—an injury large enough to earn his release from duty.

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.

Rat Kiley Analysis

How did Rat Kiley change in the things they carried?

Rat is completely changed by the experience. He was always an emotional character, but he was able to channel those emotions into telling stories. But in the aftermath of Curt's death he finds himself overwhelmed with emotions he simply can't handle. We see this when he writes a letter of condolence to Curt's sister.

What is it about O Brien's second gunshot wound that so embarrasses him?

When O'Brien is shot the second time—this time in the butt—Jorgenson is too scared to crawl over to him. O'Brien nearly dies of shock, and the wound is so poorly treated that his butt then gets gangrene.

How Does Rat Kiley's narrator impact the story?

He teaches "O'Brien" the power of the story. ... When O'Brien was shot the first time, Rat helped him, saved him. He is a combination of teller and doer, the man who could tell a story as well as patch a wound.

What did Rat Kiley do in response to Curt Lemon's death?

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.

What does Kathleen The narrator's daughter ask him?

Terms in this set (40) How old was his daughter Kathleen? What did she ask him? She was 9 when she asked if he had ever killed anyone.

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).

Why did Rat Kiley shoot the water buffalo?

In The Things They Carried, Rat Kiley shoots at and eventually kills the baby water buffalo because of his feelings of grief and anger at the death of his friend, Curt Lemon.

Why is Rat Kiley so disappointed when Curt Lemon's sister doesn't answer his letter?

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 is O'Brien bleeding at the end of the chapter ghost soldiers?

Jorgenson failed to treat for shock and did a shoddy job stitching the wound. As a result, O'Brien became infected and nearly succumbed to gangrene. “The Ghost Soldiers” in The Things They Carried follows O'Brien's experiences after being injured.

Who shot themself in the foot in Tttc?

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.

Where was O'Brien shot 2nd time?

O'Brien recalls the two times he was shot in Vietnam.

How Does Rat Kiley's telling of the story add to the tension?

How does Rat Kiley's telling of the story add to the tension? In "The Man I Killed," the narrator repeatedly describes details about the victim. What point do you think the book makes in this chapter and elsewhere about the humanity of the casualties? -He is trying to bring humanity into the war.

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.

What things did Rat Kiley carry?

The medic, Rat Kiley, carries morphine, malaria tablets, and supplies for serious wounds.

What did Rat Kiley have a reputation for?

O'Brien says the most enduring Vietnam stories are those that are between the absolutely unbelievable and the mundane. Rat Kiley, who has a reputation for exaggeration, tells a story of his first assignment in the mountains of Chu Lai, in a protected and isolated area where he ran an aid station with eight other men ...

Who is Mary Anne Bell?

Mary Anne Bell is the only female character in Tim O'Brien's novel “The Things They Carried”, who was physically present in the Vietnam War. She originally came to Vietnam to visit her boyfriend medic Mark Fossie.

Why does O'Brien let Rat Kiley tell part of the story explain?

O'Brien recalls a story of Rat Kiley's. ... He explains that Rat exaggerates not because he wants to deceive, but because he wants listeners to almost feel the story so that it seems more real. Rat had been assigned to a medical detachment near Tra Bong in an area the medics shared with six Green Berets.

What was it about rat's care of Tim that took courage?

What was it about Rat's care of Tim that took courage? He ran off in the middle of fighting and gunfire four times to care for him.

What odd habits tics does Rat Kiley develop?

What odd habits/tics does Rat Kiley develop? He constantly scratches himself, claws at bug bites, makes big scabs and then rips them off, and scratches the resulting open sores.

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.