The Things They Carried: What is the Truth?
Although the blog posts for the first books aren't due until July 20th, I want to give you the opportunity to begin posting for the last book in case you're ready. To begin, I should confess that this is one of my favorite books. We'll be rolling up our sleeves in writing workshop this year and writing in many genres, and O'Brien has that storytelling magic that we will strive to imitate in our own ways, as we tell our own stories. As you read this book, think about this question: What are the things you carry (both literal and figurative)? Are these things a help or a burden to you? Why do you carry them? Hmmm...that sounds like a good creative writing assignment for the beginning of the year if I do say so myself.
The narrator of The Things They Carried has the same name as the book's author. How did this affect your response to the book? As you read, think about O'Brien's claim, "A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen and be truer than the truth." Although this is a work of fiction, does it indeed tell the "truth"? How so?
In "How to Tell a True War Story," what does the narrator say on this subject? What do you think makes a true war story?
In "Good Form," the narrator says, "I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth." What does he mean by "story truth" and "happening-truth"? Why might one be "truer" than the other?
In the chapter "How to tell a True War story", the author elaborates on the story surrounding the pain of a best friend (Rat Kiley) in response to the death of his friend Curt Lemon. He writes a letter to the family member, in hopes to inform the family and loved ones of Lemon's demise. The 'dumb cooze' never writes back. This small story that lies within other war stories of author's 'narration' is the perfect example that truth and fact are not synonymous. The truth behind something as large and complex as war (especially with the moral questions within), is not in the numbers of those who have died, but in their stories. In the fact of their humanity. The factual evidence often fails to display the immense emotion underlying the stories of 'Tim' and the Vietnam war. Tim touches on this multiple times, including when Mitchell Sanders discussed the story of the girl and the greenies. He knows that story telling is an art that needs to be carefully displayed because the hurt and ambiguity of the emotion of the characters is lost in a story that is fact abundant. Tim's story-telling is incredible because he isn't trying to convince the readers that hes being factual, but instead the readers can trust that the emotion they feel after reading what he has to stay is raw, and displays the same emotion the characters of the story felt in that moment.
ReplyDeleteIn "How to Tell a True War Story," O'Brien explains that some men will tell a story, but exaggerate the details to make it seem more heroic and dangerous. That's an example of a false war story that would seem true. However, the truest war stories have gruesome beginnings, middles, and endings. Nothing seems honorable about the story, nothing spectacular to congratulate the soldier on being a part of. The true stories made their audience sit in complete silence; making them afraid to dare speak their thoughts.
ReplyDeleteIn "Good Form," O'Brien speaks of the differences between story-truth and happening-truth. He says that sometimes story-truth can be truer than happening-truth. As O'Brien states later on, story-truth can be truer because in the story-teller's mind, those events did happen to them. Whether they were exaggerated or not, those events did happen for them. The whole difference between a story-truth and a happening-truth is that a story-truth is coming from the person who experienced it firsthand; while a happening-truth is told more on a second person basis.
The things we carry (generally speaking) ranges from person to person. The literal items we carry can have sentimental connections to us, whether having been from a loved one or having a childhood attachment. As far as the figurative things we carry, these things can be much darker or uplifting, again depending on the particular person. We carry losses and deaths, the pain and spirits of passed family members and friends haunting us. We can also carry love and compassion, something that we can spread into the lives of others. We carry hate and malice, feelings often repressed until they destroy us or the people we love. We carry our past, regrets, memories, mistakes, and everything in between. To some, the things we carry are heavy burdens that cause us to drag our feet and wear us down, but to others, it makes us stronger and shows us of what we are capable of. We carry these things to identify ourselves and remind ourselves of who we are.
ReplyDeleteAlthough The Thing They Carried is fictional, in many ways it could be true. The stories told about the war could have happened. In “How to Tell a True War Story” O’Brien says a true war story is not believable. That in order for it to be true, it must be unacceptable. He says the true war stories cannot be told, because no one will believe them. I think what makes a true war story comes down to the story teller. If the details are explained the way to speaker remembers, it is true. In Good Form O’Brien explains that story truth is different that happening truth. He explains that a story can make you feel the truth in a different way than the happening truth. Happening truth is factual whole story truth tells what you were feeling. His point is that feelings can be truer than facts.
ReplyDelete"The Things They Carried" is fictional, however, there is multiple ways the events in the book could be true. While in the war, the men carry different things, both physical and figurative, that help us as readers identify who they are as people. Almost all of the things they carry are realistic. In the chapter, "How To Tell a True War Story", the narrator states that it is hard to believe a real war story. O'Brien states that a story truth can be truer than a happening truth. I agree with that because the events did happen, just not in the right time that someone would recognize it. I think that "story truth" is something that may have happened in the past that is now being told as a story; in comparison to "happening truth" which is when an event is taking place in the present and is recognized.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, is fictional, it still holds truth. Everyone has things they carry, from physical items to the weight of their world. Truth rings through O'Brien's novel, symbolizing that people hold and carry things that they may be scared to let go of or things that keep them going. O'Brien's novel can open ones eyes to the truth and have them wondering about the things they may carry--grudges, memories, traumas, et cetra. People carry ghosts of their pasts that may encourage or haunt them through life. Everyone carries something, rather it be physical or emotional. Most weight that weighs many down is their emotional weight, much like O'Brien's characters. O'Brien's novel has people questioning the weight and truth that they carry, wondering if what they carry is worth holding onto or if they should let it go, for the truth is the weight of the world.
ReplyDeleteWhile “The Things They Carry” is a work of fiction, O’Brien’s style of putting realistic situations in the stories makes seem so truthful. When O’Brien is narrating the stories he describes the emotion that someone would actually feel as they processed the situation. In “How to Tell a True War Story” O’Brien says that true war stories embarrass you, are hard to distinguish what happened from what seemed to happen, and there is no moral. I think true war stories are the stories that give you the gut wrenching feeling as if you were there, no sugarcoat or exaggeration. True war stories make you wonder what your reaction would be. In “Good Form” the topic of story truth and happening truth. While story truth gives you every little detail for a picture, happening truth are past events being remembered.
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ReplyDeleteIn “The Things They Carried” real life events that could be very true to today’s society occurred frequently through the chapter “How To Tell A True War Story” Rat Kiley experiences the death of one of his close friends Curt Lemon. Rat tries to inform Curt’s family about his passing by writing them a letter.This chapter hit my heart hard when O’Brien says a true story is not believable. The War in real life is so scary and horrific ,and people that have never experienced it won’t believe the stories because they are so unbelievably scary. O’Brien explains how being there for a moment and hearing a story about a moment are two very different things. I one hundred percent agree with that.
ReplyDeleteThe story truth might be truer than the happening-truth because the story truth reveals people for who they really are and what they really believe. In reality, people's actions often betray what their heart really says. Just like O'Brien's statement on embarrassment, and how men do things to avoid ridicule. People will make decisions based on their expectations of how others will react; the true story is what really lies at heart, what the honest desire of the person is. It describes the core values of situation and what lies under the shell.
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