The Things They Carried, the collection in which “How to Tell A True War Story” appears, received rave reviews from critics and readers alike when it appeared in 1990. Many of the stories in the collection, including “How To Tell A True War Story,” had previously won awards following publication in periodicals such as Esquire,…
Tag: How to Tell a True War Story
How to Tell a True War Story: Setting
The Reagan Years: 1981-1988 In 1980 Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter for the presidency of the United States. Although the country could not yet know it, this was the year that the Gulf War really began, when Iraq invaded Iran. Because Iran held a group of Americans hostage, the United States initially favored Iraq in…
How to Tell a True War Story: Literary Devices
Point of View and Narration One of the most interesting, and perhaps troubling, aspects of the construction of “How to Tell a True War Story” is O’Brien’s choice to create a fictional, first-person narrator who also carries the name “Tim O’Brien.” Although the narrator remains unnamed in this particular story, other stories in the collection…
How to Tell a True War Story: Themes
Memory and Reminiscence Because “How to Tell a True War Story” is written by a Vietnam War veteran, and because Tim O’Brien has chosen to create a narrator with the same name as his own, mosl readers want to believe that the stories O’Brien tells are true and actually happened to him. There are several…
How to Tell a True War Story: Characters
Stink Harris Slink Harris has a very small role in this story, although he figures in other stories in The Things They Carried. Dave Jensen Dave Jensen is a minor character in this story, a fellow member of Tim’s platoon. Rat Kiley Ral Kiley is another member of Tim’s platoon. The story opens with Tim…
How to Tell a True War Story: Summary
“How to Tell a True War Story” by Tim O’Brien is not a story in the traditional sense. It does not follow a straight, chronological path from start to finish. Rather, it is a collection of small stories interspersed with instructions about “true” war stories. The story opens with the words,’ “This is true.” The…