The Things They Carried
Chapter 10: Stockings
By: John Eads
Quiz Questions:
1. What was not Henry Dobbins strong suit?
2. What does Dobbins “hump around”?
3. How did Dobbins arrange the object he “humped around”?
4. What hysterical act did Dobbins commit in August”?
5. What happened to Dobbins girlfriend?
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you agree with Tim O'Brien's opinion of Henry Dobbins in that he is not
sophisticated?
-
Does the story mention anything of him doing anything crazy?
-
Is what he “humps”a contributing factor to this opinion
2. Are Henry Dobbins “pre-war” rituals anything out of the ordinary? Why do you think
O’Brien appreciates this?
-
Dobbins takes special care when doing the rituals, does this generate a generally happy
feeling within the group?
3. Why does O’Brien include this brief chapter? Is there any moral behind this?
-
O’Brien refers a lot to the “stockings” he seems to spend a lot of time detailing
everything about what each member humps, the effect can be seen in this chapter, think
of his quotes
Quote Analysis:
1. “In many ways he was like America itself, big and strong, full of good intentions , a roll
of fat jiggling at his belly, slow of foot but always plodding along, always there when you
needed him, a believer in the virtues of simplicity and directness and hard labor” (111)
a) This quote proves O'Brien's opinion in which he states that Henry Dobbins is a superb
soldier and a strong man. This comparison seems like a hyperbole because a strong man
doesn’t plod along, he is courageous and I think O'Brien needs to make up his mind about
Dobbins. He seems to have mixed opinions. This is significant to the extent that it shows
just how much O’Brien appreciates Dobbins for who he is.
2. “It turned us into a platoon of believers” (112)
a) This quote shows the importance of Dobbins to the group, he seems to complete the
group and keep them all focused on the real goal each and every day. This quote refers to
the point in the story in which Dobbins is “protected” by the panty hose he wears around
his neck, he should have been killed but was not. This occurrence gave the group a sense
of hope and belief.
3. “No sweat, The magic doesn’t go away” (112)
a) This quote is very important because they are the last words of the chapter and seem to be
the most powerful in that, though he lost his girlfriend he still believes and fights for her
knowing she doesn’t love him. Though the matter is gone, the spirit and moral are both
equally still existent and that is very powerful and rewarding for the group's attitude.
Character Analysis:
1. Henry Dobbins was the main focus of this chapter, at this point he is described as a strong
man and a superb soldier. Dobbins seems to carry everything a soldier needs as well as a
platoon. If there was a platoon full of Henry Dobbins, the United States would have had
no trouble with the Vietnam war. The one thing Dobbins is said to lack is sophistication.
This point is touched upon briefly, but O’Brien makes this claim and does not support it
whatsoever. In fact, he believes on the contrary in that his “lack of sophistication” is
something beneficial to Dobbins as well as the platoon. Overall, Dobbins seems to be a
strong leader for this platoon.
Visual: