The Things they Carried - Tim O'Brien
"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 truly told, makes the stomach believe."
The Things They Carried is a semi-autobiographical account of Tim O'Brien's experience as a foot soldier in the Vietnam War. It revolves around the central theme of a "true war story" and how they are not, necessarily, composed entirely of fact. Critics have discussed the actual legitimacy of the narratives within The Things They Carried itself and at point throughout the novel Tim O'Brien himself alludes to the stories being at least party fictitious. What is not fabricated, however, is O'Brien's actual service in the Vietnam War, and the powerful accounts he is able to give because of it. The stories in The Things They Carried span a vast portion of Tim's life, from accounts of his early childhood, through his conscription, time in service, and discharge to stories of his post-war life, which deal with his coping with the trauma of the conflict. All in all, the Things they carried is a powerful anti-war novel dealing with the lasting mental and emotional damage caused by being forced to wage a war.
The Things They Carried is a semi-autobiographical account of Tim O'Brien's experience as a foot soldier in the Vietnam War. It revolves around the central theme of a "true war story" and how they are not, necessarily, composed entirely of fact. Critics have discussed the actual legitimacy of the narratives within The Things They Carried itself and at point throughout the novel Tim O'Brien himself alludes to the stories being at least party fictitious. What is not fabricated, however, is O'Brien's actual service in the Vietnam War, and the powerful accounts he is able to give because of it. The stories in The Things They Carried span a vast portion of Tim's life, from accounts of his early childhood, through his conscription, time in service, and discharge to stories of his post-war life, which deal with his coping with the trauma of the conflict. All in all, the Things they carried is a powerful anti-war novel dealing with the lasting mental and emotional damage caused by being forced to wage a war.