The Things They Carried

A story specifically about war is an interesting twist for this class.  So far, the books we’ve read have been relatively similar in themes and form – not to say I think that The Things They Carried is morally very different – but the war aspect of this book brings in a new dynamic to the story.  The effect war has on soldiers in irreparable, and I saw that come through very strongly in O’Brien’s writing.  Given the background of the narrator, I mostly struggled with taking his stories as complete or entirely truthful, even though the book is dedicated to a group of real, fallen soldiers. 

 

Directly in the text, the narrator states that stories from Vietnam are strange and hard to believe – “some improbably, some well beyond that” (89).  Also he states that in war, soldiers loose their “sense of definite…[their] sense of truth itself” (82).  Statements like these make me skeptical of events before and after them.  While I do believe that major events and deaths did happen, I am still unsure of how they are delivered to the reader.

 

Indirectly, the text is concerning too.  In the final chapter, the narrator talks about how stories help the dead “return to the world” (225).  I believe the he says this to convey that stories help celebrate the life the dead once had.  To me, it seems reasonable for the storyteller to fabricate and stray from truth in order to do so.  Therefore, I do not fully believe every event in this book.

 

I think it is important when reading to always consider whether or not the narrator is completely trustworthy.  In the book particularly, where the narrator is affected by war and the loss of friends, truth must be considered carefully.  I think O’Brien wrote the book in this manner to simultaneously show the effect war has on people as well as celebrate the lives of his fallen friends.