Remember--when you read a text closely, your goal is to understand more than what happened in the story. You should also try to grasp how the author conveys his or her message. And of course any claim you make about the story should be based on textual evidence rather than an opinion.

Read the first half of "Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?" Stop reading when you get to "Private First Class Paul Berlin walked carefully."

Now use these questions to practice your close reading skills.

When the platoon starts to move again, Paul Berlin has fallen asleep and must be awakened by another soldier. He moves through the rice paddy, following the other men. As he walks, he thinks about reaching the sea and swimming and how safe he will be.
When the platoon starts to move again, a soldier tells Paul Berlin to get moving. As Paul walks, he thinks about what he will tell his parents about the war. He plans to only relate the good things and forget about the bad, like the death of Billy Boy Watkins.
The platoon starts to move again, and Paul is disturbed from his reverie by another soldier. He walks through the rice paddies thinking about many different things: how afraid he is, the things he will tell his mother, the safety of the platoon once they reach the sea, and the different kinds of fear he has experienced.
The platoon starts to move again, but Paul is not ready to go on. After arguing with the soldier who disturbs him, he reluctantly continues the march. As he walks along, Paul Berlin thinks only of the death of Billy Boy Watkins earlier that day.

When you restate the literal events of the story in your own words, be sure you are as thorough as possible.

with sympathy because Paul is afraid
as a coward who does not need to be a soldier
as someone who is not very dedicated to the military
as someone who is homesick and lonely

O'Brien focuses on Paul's fear as he deals with two firsts--his first day in the war and his first experience with death.

He imagines that he is camping and what he will tell his family when he gets back home. Both of these things seem to decrease his fear so that he can think more clearly and act as he needs to.
He counts his footsteps and sings a song, but these two things aren't enough to completely make him forget how afraid he is.
He talks to the other soldiers and discovers how afraid they are. After doing this, Paul is not nearly as afraid as he was before because he knows he's not alone.
He imagines that he is camping, counts his steps, imagines what he will tell his family, sings songs, and plans to clean his gun carefully. Even though he tries all these things, Paul is still very afraid.

Paul Berlin does a number of things to try to take his mind off his fear.

What is my first reaction to this passage?
How does the author influence the reader to think in a certain way?
What evidence supports my claims about this passage?
How would I restate what is happening in my own words?

Can you apply close reading strategies to O'Brien's short story "Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?"

Re-read the passage that begins "In the morning . . ." and ends with ". . . watching while Billy Boy Watkins died." What is the best paraphrase of this section of the story?

In this same passage, how does Tim O'Brien want you to view Paul Berlin?

Re-read the passage that begins "Now as he stepped out of the paddy . . ." and ends with ". . . in a while and exchange memories." What does Paul Berlin do to try to relieve his fear, and how successful are his attempts?

After paraphrasing and finding the meaning in the excerpt from the previous question, what question should you find the answer to next?

Re-read the passage that begins "Once they skirted a sleeping village . . ." and ends with "Private First Class Paul Berlin walked carefully." What is O'Brien trying to say about fear?

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