{"id":5256,"date":"2019-12-10T03:33:31","date_gmt":"2019-12-10T07:33:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=5256"},"modified":"2022-03-17T15:24:08","modified_gmt":"2022-03-17T19:24:08","slug":"the-things-they-carried-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-things-they-carried-church\/","title":{"rendered":"The Things They Carried\u2014”Church”: The Complete Chapter Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What happens in the chapter in The Things They Carried<\/em> called “Church”? How does “Church” demonstrate how soldiers often view the role of luck<\/a> in their lives?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ll look at the basic elements of this chapter of The Things They Carried<\/em>, “Church,” and look at how two soldiers approach religion during battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Things They Carried<\/em>: “Church”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In this chapter of The Things They Carried<\/em>, “Church,” O\u2019Brien recalls another man in Alpha Company, Henry Dobbins<\/a>, as being highly drawn to sentimentality. Dobbins carried his girlfriend\u2019s pantyhose around his neck, but not out of a sexual predilection. For Dobbins, the pantyhose were a talisman, a good-luck charm, something that made him feel protected. Like Cross\u2019s pebble from Martha, they were a link to a world away from the war.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O\u2019Brien observes how powerful a hold superstition exerted on all the men in circumstances where life and death seemed to hang so precariously and randomly in the balance<\/strong>. Thus, in this chapter of The Things They Carried<\/em>, “Church,” even the other men came to accept the pantyhose\u2019s mysterious protective power, seeing how Dobbins seemed to glide through the mayhem of war without so much as a scratch. Once, he stepped on a landmine that, miraculously, failed to explode. Another time, he was trapped in a gunfire battle with no cover, but simply slipped the pantyhose over his nose and somehow came out unscathed. Even after his girlfriend broke up with him, Dobbins believed that the pantyhose retained their power. \u201cNo sweat,\u201d O\u2019Brien recalls him saying, \u201cThe magic doesn\u2019t go away.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One day, the company discovered a pagoda where they met two monks. This is the main event of this chapter of The Things They Carried<\/em>, “Church.” The deeply religious and (atypically for Alpha Company) scrupulous Kiowa<\/a> was uneasy about going in, believing that it was sacrilegious for the men to enter such a holy place. Among the men of Alpha Company, only one soldier, Kiowa, a Native American who carries his New Testament on his person at all times, shows any introspection. When death strikes the company, he is always the one who encourages his comrades to talk about their experiences rather than submerge them in acts of violence or displays of emotional cruelty. Seeing Cross\u2019s despair, Kiowa wishes to himself that he could feel for Lavender as Cross does. But instead, all he can think about is the sound of Lavender\u2019s body hitting the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, the men camped out there for a week, as the monks waited on the soldiers. They took a special liking to Dobbins, dubbing him \u201cSoldier Jesus.\u201d The serenity of the place and the kindness of the monks even inspired Dobbins to consider leading a spiritual life after the war in The Things They Carried<\/em>‘s “Church.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n


In this chapter of The Things They Carried<\/em>, “Church,” O\u2019Brien recalls Dobbins as being more drawn to the idea of being nice to people as a minister rather than grappling with any weighty theological considerations, remembering Dobbins saying, \u201cAll you can do is be nice. Treat them decent, you know?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What happens in the chapter in The Things They Carried called “Church”? How does “Church” demonstrate how soldiers often view the role of luck in their lives? 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