Essay On Tim O 'Brien's The Things They Carried'

There are many different controversies on the information in “The Things They Carried”. Some believe to tell a good story, there's only facts and no truth, but some think that there needs to be all fictional elements and no facts to make a good story. A majority of people say that an excellent story starts with facts and adds in other elements like metaphors, symbolism, and imagery because visualizing the story helps the reader connect to the unfamiliar event.
Using imagery is a smart way to engage an audience and keep someone on their seat to keep reading. Tim O'Brien uses imagery to connect and entertain his audience in an effective way. “..not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them folded in plastic... after a day's march, he would dig his foxhole, wash his hands under a canteen, unwrap the letters, hold them with the tips of his fingers, and spend the last hour of light pretending.. He wanted Martha to love him as he loved her” (1). This quote gives the reader evidence that imagery can create a new picture and really help you understand a story in a deeper level. This is more suitable than using facts because using facts can not create a vivid, lasting picture in the reader’s mind.
“He was a slim, dead, almost dainty young man of about twenty. He lay with one leg bent beneath him, his jaw in his throat, his face neither expressive nor inexpressive. One eye was shut. The other was star-shaped hole.”(124). Instead of Tim O'Brien telling us facts about this man, he was describing what was happening and how the man looked. Using the 5 senses can help describe in a meaningful way. That is because using the 5 senses can connect with the reader and create an image in their mind to understand what is happening on a deeper