Question

"O'Brien famously distinguishes between "happening-truth," or an accurate and verifiable account of historical events, and "story truth," or
readers' genuine experience of the story, even if the details are invented. The book blurs the lines between fiction and truth even further in
its dedication to a group of soldiers who turn out to be fictional characters throughout the rest of the book, and in the appearance of "Tim
O'Brien" in several stories, a figure who seems very similar to, but not quite identical with, the author" - John Young, Ransom Center
Magazine
Prompt: Do the themes of the novel (bravery, guilt, regret, etc.) still carry the same weight of importance now that you know O'Brien's stories
are fake? Explain why or why not.

Answer 1

The stories do not carry the weight of authenticity but are poignant nonetheless so they are still important.

Explanation:

The themes that are present in the novel Things they carried are there to tell the public about the hardships of the life of soldiers and he does this by employing a technique wherein the author purposefully blurs the line of truth.

This is a view of things where the author accepts that there is no credible way of knowing what is true and what is not but the story has to be given the respect it deserves as a story only.

The help of an authenticating incident is not needed for the story.