Finale

        The ending to The Things They Carried was fitting. It seemed almost unrelated to the story before, providing little closure with the cohesive chapters prior. But discussed brought the limelight to the deeper aspects of the story. In it the author reflected on the loss of life, at home, and during the war. It cemented the author's claim that it was not a book of war stories, though that may be their primary setting. The stories he wrote had many themes, and different meanings to difference audiences.

          I was satisfied with my selection of The Things They Carried. The story was vast in its expanse, covering a long period of time with a large cast of characters and events almost seamlessly. It was easy to find yourself lost in the stories, wandering within the vivid jungle, the terrain as lucidly painted as the people within.

          Overall, I was fond of this unit. We were given an abundance of freedom throughout it to format the schedule and meetings to our liking, which was a nice change of pace from regular schoolwork. It took a little while to get used to the talks, but we soon adjusted. The fact that it was being recorded shifted the mentality: smalltalk being eliminated and replaced with an empty silence. However, we began to anticipate this and the discussions became much more fluid, absent of the dull hum of silence. By the time the final discussion came around, which was doubled in length to the others, we were ready. That particular discussion had much less silence than the others, though it was significantly longer.