Table of ContentsIntroductionMeanings of Fear and Dehumanization in "The Things They Wore"ConclusionThe Things They Wore by Tim O' Brien is a compilation of war stories based on O'Brien's experiences during the Vietnam War. These stories are fragments of truth with an underlying lie that deserves a closer look. When you strip away the deception and begin to understand the emotional burden on these soldiers, which can only be described through misconceptions and exaggerations, you begin to realize the truth. The deeper meaning of these stories is that some things must be exaggerated and embellished to be real and accurate. It is used in such a way that the fear and dehumanization of the characters in this book is so close to the truth, but, at the same time, could not be further from it. The truth is twisted, twisted and sometimes completely non-existent. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayIntroductionIn the novel The Things They Carried, author Tim O'Brien systematically stretches the truth in a way that describes feelings or emotions that would not otherwise be clear. O'Brien uses a form of false narration about factual events to attempt to convey certain feelings and emotions that might have been more difficult for the audience to understand if he had told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. In the chapter titled “Good Form,” O’Brien says, “I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why the truth of the story is sometimes truer than the truth that is happening.” In this chapter, he makes several nods to the notion of true and false aspects of the stories he tells. With the truth happening, the feelings he wanted the reader to feel may not have been as easy to understand as the truth of the story. In one chapter, O'Brien even goes so far as to invent his "daughter" Kathleen for the sake of the reader's understanding. Kathleen was part of a complex story about returning to Vietnam with her daughter, to the place where her best friend, Kiowa, died. Not only that, but he uses Kathleen in a way that moves the story toward a question that he can answer honestly with two conflicting answers. “Dad, tell the truth,” Kathleen may say. “Have you ever killed anyone?” And I can honestly say, “Of course not.” Or I can honestly say, “Yes.” O'Brien completely fakes Kathleen as a whole, using her fake daughter to ask questions that he thinks might have a real answer. For someone who is not present for what actually happened, the questions can only have one real answer, yes or no, neither yes nor no. O'Brien acknowledges all the faculty in his book at the beginning of the chapter "Good Form" saying, "It's time to be frank... a long time ago he marched in Quang Ngai province as an infantryman. Almost everything else is made up. But it's not a game. It's a form. Here and now, as I invent myself, I think of everything I want to tell you about this book which was written as it was.” This quote from O'Brien directly states that he wants the reader to understand the truth. Even though what he tells you may not be the actual, factual truth of what happened, the way he explains it makes you feel what he felt. Meanings of Fear and Dehumanization in "The Things They Carried" Fear unifies the novel because it shows the commonality between all the soldiers in the platoon through a feeling.