Spare Parts

Now that you have read Williams’s memoir in its entirety, reflect upon the book’s title. Why do you think he chose to call it Spare Parts? Consider these points as you develop your ideas:

• How does the Marines’ relationship to their gear relate to the idea of spare parts?
• Recall the book’s subtitle: A Marine Reservist’s Journey from Campus to Combat in 38 Days. How is Williams’s experience a journey? In what ways is this symbolized in the text?
• Is there irony in the book’s title? How can such an essential career be called Spare Parts?

Teaching Suggestion: It may be helpful to encourage students to find multiple levels of meaning in the book’s title. The surface-level reason Williams chose to call his memoir “spare parts” is described in Chapter 2, when Charlie explains that Marine Reservists are nicknamed “spare parts.” The Marines are also defined by their gear; they often get new gear when they receive new roles and responsibilities. The book can be considered a “journey” as symbolized by the yellow footprints seen at the beginning and end of the book; it is Williams’s journey to find himself and to become a true Marine. The irony in the title is that there is nothing “spare” or extraneous about Williams’s story—his memoir chronicles his astounding combat experience with the Marines.