Question

which best describes the central conflict in \ambush\?
○ the narrator is bothered by the fact that he lied to his daughter.
○ the narrator is haunted by the experience of killing another man.
○ the narrator is tormented by the grave dangers he once faced.
○ the narrator is frustrated by the empty assurances of kiowa.

Explanation:

In "Ambush" (from The Things They Carried), the central conflict revolves around the narrator's psychological struggle with the guilt and trauma of having killed a young Vietnamese soldier. The lie to his daughter is a secondary detail, dangers faced are less central than the act of killing, and Kiowa’s assurances are not the main conflict. The core is the narrator’s haunting from taking another’s life.

Answer:

B. The narrator is haunted by the experience of killing another man.