business and economics | May 26, 2026

Which soldier blows away the water buffalo?

Puppy and Water Buffalo Azar rejoices in the animal's violent death because it gives him a sense of control over his own circumstances. Later, Rat Kiley shoots a water buffalo to avenge the death of their friend, Curt Lemon.

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Similarly one may ask, how did Curt Lemon die?

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. Lemon stepped into the sunlight and onto a rigged mortar round.

Secondly, what does O'Brien mean when he says that true war stories are never about war? O'Brien scolds us for clinging to his story even as he pulls us along. Here is the entire passage: A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain men from doing the things men have always done.

Simply so, who Killed Ted Lavender's puppy?

Azar. Azar is the guy who kills puppies. Literally. When Ted Lavender adopts a puppy, Azar straps it to a mine, explodes it, and then completely fails to understand why everyone is mad at him.

What does the things they carried say about war?

“To generalize about war is like generalizing about peace. Almost everything is true. Almost nothing is true. At its core, perhaps, war is just another name for death, and yet any soldier will tell you, if he tells the truth, that proximity to death brings with it a corresponding proximity to life.

Related Question Answers

Why did Curt Lemon have his tooth pulled in the end?

Curt Lemon has the dentist pull out a healthy tooth because of the shame he feels for not being the "macho soldier" he's been trying to be during this war. He feels his fear of the dentist is causing him to not be the soldier he wants everyone to believe he is.

How does Kiowa die?

Kiowa. Kiowa's death is symbolic of the senseless tragedy of war. He dies in a gruesome way, drowning under the muck of a sewage field about which his lieutenant, Jimmy Cross, has a bad feeling.

What does the water buffalo symbolize in The Things They Carried?

The puppy and baby water buffalo symbolize innocence and purity. In the beginning, O'Brien recalls when a fellow soldier, Azar, strapped a puppy to a mine and squeezed the firing device. Azar rejoices in the animal's violent death because it gives him a sense of control over his own circumstances.

How do you tell a war story quotes?

“you can tell a true war story if it embarrasses you. If you don't care for obscenity, you don't care for the truth; if you don't care for the truth, watch how you vote.

What does Curt Lemon symbolize?

He is a young foot soldier in the Vietnam War, a member of Alpha Company. When "O'Brien" returns to Vietnam, he visits the site of Kiowa's death and leaves his moccasins as a memorial to his friend. Curt Lemon Lemon represents an outdated model of masculine heroism.

How did lavender die 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. Before he is shot, he carries and takes tranquilizers to dull his fear. He dies on his way back from peeing while the rest of the platoon is focused on a tunnel that they need to destroy.

How does Morty die?

He thought that he had almost died of shock, and he blamed Jorgenson's delay for the infection that set in. One soldier, Morty Phillips, had since died of a strange tropical disease he contracted swimming in a river.

How was Ted Lavender killed?

Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers until he was shot in the head outside the village of Than Khe in mid-April. The death is described matter-of-factly, in passive voice. O'Brien describes the death as if it were an everyday occurrence, like the rain or a new mission.

What does Ted Lavender carry?

Dave Jensen carries a toothbrush, dental floss, and soap. Ted Lavender ("who was scared") carries tranquilizers. Mitchell Sanders carries condoms.

What does it mean to figuratively put a spin on things?

To put a spin on something. New Word Suggestion. To twist a report or story to one's advantage; to interpret and event to make it seem favorable or beneficial to oneself or one's cause. Submitted By: DavedWachsman - 01/11/2012.

Who blew up the puppy in the things they carried?

Azar

What did Azar do to Ted Lavender puppy?

6. What did Azar do to Ted Lavender's puppy? Azar straps it to a mine, explodes it, and then completely fails to understand why everyone is mad at him.

How is war ambiguous?

Ironically, the moral or lesson in The Things They Carried is that there is no morality in war. War is ambiguous and arbitrary because it forces humans into extreme situations that have no obvious solutions.

Who broke whose nose?

Summary: “Enemies” One morning on patrol Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk get into a fistfight over a missing jackknife that Jensen thinks Strunk has stolen. Jensen breaks Strunk's nose, hitting him repeatedly and without mercy.

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.

How did Curt Lemon's visit to the dentist?

How did Curt Lemon's visit to the dentist affect him? This affected him greatly because his embarrassment over fainting overcame his fear of the dentist. Consequently, Curt went to the dentist and pretended to have a toothache in order to have his tooth removed.

What is a war story?

Definition of war story. : a story of a memorable personal experience typically involving an element of danger, hardship, or adventure politicians swapping war stories from past campaigns.

Why is it difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen?

In any war story, but especially a true one, it's difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen. What seems to happen becomes its own happening and has to be told that way. The angles of vision are skewed. When a booby trap explodes, you close your eyes and duck and float outside yourself.