The Things They Carried: An Epigraph Analysis

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien may be a war story, but it is also a collection of stories about people. Not all of these stories are completely factual, either, but they were never intended to be. O’Brien presents these not-quite-truths not to deceive, but because while the real events may have been more factual, it didn’t mean they were more real. What is true and what is simply fabrication become interchangeable, bringing to life the chaotic experiences the author felt as a soldier in the Vietnam War. This quote would be an appropriate epigraph because the author has taken cares to highlight that the exact events and facts of the war aren’t as important as the people who took part in it and trying to understand their experiences and

He admits that some parts of his writing are made up, and he is intentionally vague about the truthfulness of other parts. When asked if he had ever killed anyone, O’Brien said that he could reply, honestly, with both “Of course not,” and “Yes” (172). He explains that even the guilt of being present when the kill took place was enough that it doesn’t matter if he himself threw the grenade or not, he would feel the same way. It doesn’t matter the exact events that took place; this story is about how he felt about seeing murder up close and personal. O’Brien explains that “by telling stories, you objectify your own experience... You pin down certain truths. You make up others” (152). Writing was a way to verbalize his past, and he told the vague details how he experienced them, if not necessarily how they happened. He was able to separate himself from his memories and remorse allowing himself to cope with his past in the war. While the reader will never know the exact truth, they can still understand the guilt and that O’Brien felt as a