The Things They Carried: Spin

Question: “On occasions the war was like a Ping-Pong ball. You could put a fancy spin on it, you could make it dance.” What does this mean? What is the “spin” O’Brien is talking about? Identify where in the chapter O’Brien “spins” the story, events, etc. What is he trying to show the reader?

Answer:

            In the novel The Things They Carried, Tim, the narrator, says “On occasions the war was like a ping-pong ball. You could put a fancy spin on it, you could make it dance.” (O’Brien, 32). A ping-pong ball’s main purpose it to be bounced and, in the game of ping-pong, it can easily just be bounced back and forth between the opponents in the simplest way possible and the game will work perfectly. However, if there’s a wish to “spice it up” or make it interesting, the ball can do more than just bounce. It can spin and dance. This is to say that the way the ball is hit is up to the person hitting it and if they wish, they can make it fun or boring or interesting. The metaphor means is that the way the person playing ping-pong, or maybe a soldier, makes the ball bounce, or looks at the war, can change the overall experience. It’s another way of saying “life is what you make it”. These soldiers are in the war and that’s not something that’s going to change anytime soon. However, the way they view it is completely up to them. The “spin” that Tim O’Brien is referring to is having a positive outlook and making the best of what you’re given.

            O’Brien adds “spin” to his story by showing the positive or fun or even interesting events that took place in the war with his soldiers. He mentions the soldiers playing checkers, Lavender adopting a puppy and an old man who helped them that they grew to love. One example of this is when Tim describes a scene by saying “Or Kiowa teaching a rain dance to Rat Kiley and Dave Jensen, the three of them whooping and leaping around barefoot while a bunch of villagers looked on with a mixture of fascination and giggly horror.” (O’Brien, 36). He shows the things that they did to keep themselves going throughout the war.

            O’Brien is trying to show the readers what the war is like. A lot of people when they think of the war envision nonstop violence, killing and gunfire. While those things do play a huge part in the war, there are other things, too. There’s jokes, pranks, funny memories, deep conversations and games of chess. O’Brien wants his readers to realize this.