The Things They Carried

The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien is a book of stories about the Vietnam War. One of the main messages that O'Brien tries to express is how stories are not always completely true and that they are subject to embellishment by people as they tell them. He uses this book and the struggles of he and other soldiers to show that it isn't necessarily that stories, like his, need to be completely true in every detail, but that the fact that they can be true is the most important thing. The general idea of the story is usually pretty accurate, but emotion can get in the way of accurately depicting the details of the story, and when the story is about something as serious and trauatic as war and death, there is bound to be exaggerating and embellishment. O'Brien reminds the readers of this many times throughout the book to make sure that we know and keep in the back of our minds that some of these stories might not be completely accurate, but it is because of the emotion and heart that was put into these stories. When telling a story, the teller wants the listener to be captivated and connect with the story and if it about something important the teller may be worried that a deep connection will be made, so they add some extra details.
O'Brien also discusses the things that the soldiers carried in great detail throughout the book, especially in the first chapter. He describes the different supplies that each man had depending on what they were doing, where they were going, etc. The men carried many varieties of guns from M16's to pistols to grenade launchers, as well as other necessities like a poncho, fingernail clippers, extra ammunition, food, and many other things. He then goes about that there is another level to the things that the men carried, their mental baggage. Every man has different things they need to cope with, but they all have emotional baggage from home like love, grief, terror, fear. Love is one of the most important, if not the most important. A large number of the men have pictures, letters, or miscellaneous things like pantyhose. O'Brien uses these as a way to show the importance of love in our lives because these things reminded them of home, hope, and gave them good luck and a reason to survive.
O'Brien combines stories from the past and the present to illustrate the impact that the war and these stories have had impact on his life and many other people's lives. Stories are a powerful tool in a person's life. He says that "stories are for joining the past to the future.. stories are for eternity, then the memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the stories" (36). O'Brien is showing the reader that stories are needed in everyone's lives because they link you to your past, and that stories last forever and by extension, you will last forever. It is a way to preserve yourself and your legacy throughout time.