1:
1. From what are O'Brien's characters trying to escape? Why can they not face and confront what plagues them?
2. What forms of escape are available to the soldiers in TTTC? Which one(s) does O'Brien seem to approve of? Why?
3. When do moments of escape in O'Brien's works become dangerous? Why are they dangerous? Do the character(s) involved overcome such moments? If so, how? If not, what are the consequences?
2:
1. Why do characters in TTTC find themselves unable to tell stories about their experiences, wartime or otherwise? To what extent is this failure the product of outside forces and conditions, and to what extent are the individuals themselves responsible?
2. What are the consequences of not telling stories about one's experiences? Which characters exemplify these consequences?
3. Which characters tell their stories? What are the consequences for them?
4. Are there any characters who survive by following the ‘strong, silent' mode of stoic male behavior? How do you respond to them? How does O'Brien?
5. Which stories within the stories of TTTC are lies? Who tells them? Why do they tell them? Which strike you as seeming the most truthful? Why? Which elements seem fictitious? Why? What do you answers suggest about the way you perceive and understand the world?