The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

In the novel “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien he asks the reader to question many aspects of war. However, a central question that is asked throughout the novel is, what is the nature of storytelling, and how can it impact our lives. While the novel doesn't necessarily answer that question it offers thoughts about it.

Throughout the the novel the reader follows Tim O’Brien during his tour in the Vietnam War and are exposed to a variety of stories that with varying degrees of truth. While these stories are told with a variety of truth they tell the reader that while a story can be simply a retelling of a specific event, for O’Brien the retelling of these stories helps him cope with what he did in the Vietnam War. These stories can