Truth and Troop Hardships in a Chapter of "The Things They Carried"

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Recommended: How to tell a true war story literary analysis

Throughout Tim O'Brien's short work "How to tell a true war story" O'Brien has two reoccurring themes. One is of the desensitization of the troops during their hardship regarding the events of the Vietnam War, and the other is of the concept of truth. Truth may seem simple enough to explain, but is in fact endowed with many layers. The story is chalked full of contradictions, as well as lies, and embellishments, and yet O'Brien claims that these are the truth. The truth, whether it be war or society's, is in fact a concept that can be conveyed many times and in many ways. Whereas each is independently untrue, the combined collaboration of these half-truths is in essence the only real truth.

People in such intense situations, such as war, often have to emotionally shut themselves down in order to not let the effects of their actions hinder their duties. They create a stronger bond with their fellow troops and weaker regarding all other form of life. "Kiowa and Mitchell Sanders picked up the baby buffalo. They hauled it across the open square, hoisted it up, and dumped it in the village well."(681) They are disregarding the effects that it may have on the local people that must drink from this well as one of their main staples of life. It is desensitization like thus demonstrated that may cause those telling a war story, from experience, to embellish parts to evoke the intended feeling. After all that is the point of a story, to stir up a feeling, or to teach a moral.

But in truth a true war story will stir great feelings, but may not contain a moral at all. In fact, a true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain men from doing th...

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...suade the reader to think or feel a certain way but this in itself is another lie. Telling a true war story is about convincing someone of the inconvincible, to make them believe the unbelievable. That's why a series of half-truths and exaggerations are each a small part of the truth. The truth is an enigmatic cloud, a mystery; at its very core is truth. This truth can never be obtained, only hinted upon. The ideas that make up this cloud are each different yet circle a similar theme, which is the real truth. Some of these concepts may be at opposite ends and completely dissimilar but are each a part of the truth. Therefore each may be independently untrue, but the coalescence of these fabrications is in essence the only real truth.

O'Brien, Tim. "How to Tell a True War Story." Writing as Revision, 2nd edition. Eds.

Beth Alvarado, Barbara p.675-684

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