Lyzette Grimaldo

December 15, 2019

How does Tim O’ Brien develop his theme of truth?

In Tim O'Brien's book, “​The Things They Carried”​ , He illustrates the theme that the
truth of War is often generalized as ‘hell’ when in reality War doesn't feel like half of that to
Soldiers themselves. O'Brien attempts to tell the truth about the war through experiences so that
the readers can understand them more. He doesn't tell what actually happened in the war because
in the end, the audience wouldn't be able to connect with the emotions conveyed throughout the
book and how each Soldier would interpret the war.

At first, from O'Brien's point of view, we can tell that he sees or interprets a true War
Story as one that would make the stomach believe. It's almost as if one could relate to the
experiences and emotions that come with war in order to actually believe it. The author uses
“true war stories do not generalize”. They do not indulge in abstraction or analysis… it comes
down to gut instinct. A true war story, if told truly, makes the stomach believe” (O’ Brien 78) as
examples of how one should see the difference between a true and untrue War Story. O'Brien
says that one generalizes the war, then they won't get to understand what the war actually feels
like .

Furthermore, The author uses imagery to describe how soldiers actually feel during the
war. For instance, “ How do you generalize?” war is hell, but that's not half of it, because war
is also a mystery and Terror and adventure and courage and discovery and Holiness and pity and
despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War
makes you a man; war makes you dead” (O’Brien 80). The author us saying that many people
see the war as “hell” but in reality, to the soldiers half of the war isn’t even like that because it’s
also mystery, terror, adventure, courage, discovery, holiness, pitym despair, longing and love.
War can be nasty, fun, thrilling, or a drudgery all at once but that’s what people don’t usually
describe war originally as.

Ultimately, O’ Brien considers the wars many things but doesn't realize it as one single
emotion only. War is the mixture of different emotions and that is what can connect the reader to
the war stories told in this book. The author believes that if he wouldn't convey the feelings of a
soldier in war to the reader, then there wouldn't be a truth to the war. From O'Brien's point of
view, we can tell that he believes one should be able to connect with experiences of another
person through emotions and those experiences must make the stomach believe. People tend to
see War as one thing only and most of the times they generalize it as ‘hell’. However, On Brian
uses imagery to show off that half of the war isn't like hell because there's also a mystery, terror,
adventure, courage, discover, holiness, pity, despair, love, and longing.