COMPANY K
INFORMATION ABOUT THE BOOK ITSELF:
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Though this is a novel, it is still analyzed and examined like a history book. Therefore, you need to know about the following. Much of this information can be discovered in the Introduction.
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The author:
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Information about the author. Who was he? What was his real name?
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Why did the author write this book?
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Did the author serve in the military? In what branch?
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Did the author see combat? In what war? In what area did he serve?
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Was he decorated? For what actions?
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What did he do after the war?
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What other books did he write? Are any notable?
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The book:
As this book is part of a new wave of military fiction that came out of WWI, understand the following:
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When the book was published.
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The book's contribution to the depiction of combat, which the editor says makes it stand out as "the work of its generation which, more than any other, takes the experience of combat itself . . . its a single obsessive center." (xiv)
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The book's depiction of combat itself. What does this book do with the violence and gore?
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Other combat novels that this book resembles.
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What starts happening in the story arc in Company K.
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The single incident that stands out in the book.
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How the book is organized. How are the stories in the book ordered and what do they tell us about what happened to Company K in the course of the war?
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The themes of each of the chapters, and the nature of the narrators. Some are living, some are deceased.
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The purpose of this book and what it is intended to remind its audience.
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The very end of the book and the fates of the various soldiers.
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The specifics:
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The number of stories in the book, and whether any of the narrators repeat.
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What branch of the service Company K concerns. Are the men soldiers? Marines?
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Where the company trained and what they believed about war before heading into combat.
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Which of the soldiers in the book is the author of the book.
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The first soldier's take on battlefields after the war. And what his impression foreshadows about the content of the book.
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What soldiering seemed to mean at the start of the book.
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The nature of army life.
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The everyday concerns of the soldiers when not in combat.
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The despair and what men used to pull themselves out of the depths of combat.
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The violence and gore. This book is famous for being extremely candid and graphic. Consider the graphic moments, how they arrive, how quickly they take place, how they just exist without fanfare or insight. Consider what this means.
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Many combat veterans don't like to talk about their experiences. Does this book provide any insights into why they might not want to relive their experiences?
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Are all combat deaths intentional?
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The experience of the unknown soldier.
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The experience of
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American soldiers saw the enemy as vicious. But how did enemy soldiers perceive Americans? For that matter, what are Americans like in combat? Germans in WWI called American Marines "Devil Dogs." Was this an accurate depiction?
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The dangers of a poor or inexperienced officer. This theme shows up several times in the course of the book.
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Who are the best and worst soldiers in Company K?
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Who gets executed in Company K or otherwise punished? What did they do? Did the punishment fit the crime?
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The shooting of the prisoners. This is one of the central moments of the book. Consider what happened, what the killing did to the men involved, how it affected them in the aftermath.
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What soldiers would do to get out of combat.
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Private Webster's story.
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The cruelest moments in the book. Not all cruelty in the book is combat-related. Not ever chapter details a combat event.
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Are there any lighter or funny moments in the book?
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Is there racism in Company K? for that matter, are any minorities included in this book?
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Company K's military/combat record in WWI. This is detailed in one of the chapters.
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The aftermath. What happened to the soldiers of Company K?
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This study guide may be updated as the test starts to take shape. The test will include objective questions and some short essays. You won't all get the same questions or the same essay choices, but questions of this type will likely be included as writing options:
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I am rather interested in your reactions to this book, so consider what you might write by way of a book review. An essay like this will be graded on the quality of the writing and the depth of the review. It must be more than just a summary. All book reviews include analysis of strengths and weaknesses, important contributions, and recommendations as to further use.
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The value of the novel versus straight history. What can a novel like this do for the combat experience that a standard history cannot?
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A summary and examination of the most shocking/disturbing moment in the book.
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The part of the book that was the most instructive. Where did it teach you something you hadn't known?
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What the book reveals about the nature of the fighting man. What do humans become in an extended combat situation?
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The reasons for shooting the prisoners. Why did murder suddenly become necessary? Why did soldiers go along with this act?
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Of all the soldiers in the book, who do you believe suffered the most damage - physical or emotional - in the War?
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