“Once I was a soldier. There were a lot of bodies, real bodies with real faces.” War is not an easy topic to talk about, but it must be addressed. It's sad, but true. The importance of understanding how these individuals have been changed, for the worse, is important. In war there is a huge loss of morale. No one will go back the same. Second thoughts, guilt, flashbacks and fear are all part of the daily routine of people who have lived through war. The truth of war is difficult for people who have not been to war to understand. That's why O'Brien writes a book to help ordinary people better understand what war is. It may not be the real truth, but it is a truth that more people will understand. The Notation of Truth is related to The Things They Carried, by Tim O'brien because they both confront the ethics of truth. For O'brien, something isn't true unless it seems true. Whether something actually happened or not doesn't matter. O'brien says, “the truth of history is sometimes truer than the truth that happens.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The truth of the story may not be exactly quoted from a real life situation, but the little lies that O'Brien adds in his story help people take away more from his novel. Those exaggerations help people relate more and understand the content and emotions people face during war. The real truth is more complicated than the told truth, which makes it more difficult to interpret for people who have never faced the challenges of war. Normal people need more made-up stories that are interesting and hold our attention to keep us engaged and connected to what is happening. The real truth isn't always the best way to express a story to those who may not understand. O'Brien says: “The beauty of a story is that you dream it as you tell it, hoping that others will then dream along with you, and in this way memory, imagination and language combine to create spirits in the head. There is an illusion of vitality.” Adding these extra details can help the reader better understand the emotions one can feel in such an intense situation, such as war. “I want you to feel what I felt.” O'brien says in the Good Form chapter. He needs people to know how he felt when he experienced moments of war that made him feel such extreme emotions. He feels that using lies here and there and creating what could be real life situations in his story is how he can get the message across to readers. Guilt is also an important part of a war story, guilt unifies the novel The Things They Carried because it shows a commonality between all the soldiers in the platoon because most of them feel guilty about different things who lived in war. There was always so much to do: "They carried everything they could, and more, including a quiet awe at the terrible power of the things they carried." This shows that the soldiers had constant baggage with them and that their daily life was always stressful. There are different ways soldiers feel guilty, whether they watch someone get killed or are the person who kills someone: "At one point, I remember, we stopped on a snapshot of Ted Lavender, and after a bit Jimmy rubbed his eyes and said he never forgave himself for Lavender's death.” Jimmy feels guilty because he feels Ted's death could have been avoided if he hadn't been so wrapped up in Martha.