“How To Tell a True War Story” shows the connection between storytelling and the experiences people go through while at war. This story intends to investigate the reality of war stories told by those from Vietnam. The story is narrated from O’Brien’s experience, who acts as a soldier and a storyteller. Hence, the story seems to be a show of soldiers while at war and a piece of art. Though O’Brien’s narrative, one understands the role of storytellers in shaping the experiences of readers and listeners. This instance is the same case where soldiers’ experiences are shaped by the wars encountered in life. O’Brien discusses death in a detached manner showing how often people avoid that topic.
“How To Tell a True War Story” shows that the stories are evil and obscene since they tell events as they are not always welcomed. The narrative has been used to explain that the stories are supposed to be accurate and genuine. When Rat Kiley sends a letter to Curt Lemon’s sister, she does not welcome it positively as one would expect (O’Brien, 2009). O’Brien, through his anger, shows that a war story does not rely on courage but rather on misplaced anger and the fact that most soldiers hardly deal with their feelings.
O’Brien is used in the story to show better ways of narrating war stories. He shows that sometimes it is difficult to distinguish the reality of war and the perception of what may have happened (O’Brien, 2009). Since most of the war stories are generalized, they hardly live the impact they are intended to have on people. Additionally, the story shows that it can be difficult for a soldier and storyteller since people believe the story is invented or exaggerated. Nevertheless, I believe the story has been essential in bringing out the credibility of stories and painting a picture of some of the experiences encountered at war.
Reference
O’Brien, T. (2009). The things they carried. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.