Important Sections of the Chapter
1). "I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening- truth." (pg. 179)
ANALYSIS
As in "How to Tell a True War Story" this chapter, "Good Form" comes back to the theme fiction vs. factual. In it O'Brien explains why he wrote the "Things They Carried" and he emphasizes the idea that he wants his readers to "feel what [he] felt". He says that "story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth" and this is because in story-truth, you can invent, you can create fictional scenarios that can help you clarify what happened in your own life and maybe find the answer to your doubts, and it in this search where you might find the meaning of these memories and why they torment you so much.
The essence of this chapter is to share with the readers the power of storytelling and the sense of liberation that comes with it. O'Brien wants the audience to understand that the war changed it, that it marked him, he wants them to sympathize with him and his technique for acquiring this sympathy is by creating fictional scenarios that trigger the feeling of empathy and make them feel what "[he] felt".
Important Sections of the Chapter
"Field Trip"
Important Sections of the Chapter
1). "Leaning forward, I reached in with the moccasins and wedged them into the soft bottom, letting them slide away. Tiny bubbles broke along the surface. I tried to think of something decent to say, something meaningful and right, but nothing came to me." (pg. 186)
ANALYSIS
This is a chapter about closure. After the war is over, Tim O'Brien takes his daughter Kathleen to Vietnam to share some of the experiences he lived as a soldier. However, the true purpose of such a visit was the closure to Kiowa's death.
In the quote above, O'Brien is sitting inside the river that had drown Kiowa feeling the peacefulness of the water around him and he is letting go of the moccasins. This gesture suggests closure, the acceptance of his friend's death and the wish for a better life elsewhere. As a soldier and a comrade, Tim is looking for some sort of inner peace, a sign that tells him that Kiowa knows he's sorry and that finally clarifies that his death was not anybody's fault.
This is a chapter about closure. After the war is over, Tim O'Brien takes his daughter Kathleen to Vietnam to share some of the experiences he lived as a soldier. However, the true purpose of such a visit was the closure to Kiowa's death.
In the quote above, O'Brien is sitting inside the river that had drown Kiowa feeling the peacefulness of the water around him and he is letting go of the moccasins. This gesture suggests closure, the acceptance of his friend's death and the wish for a better life elsewhere. As a soldier and a comrade, Tim is looking for some sort of inner peace, a sign that tells him that Kiowa knows he's sorry and that finally clarifies that his death was not anybody's fault.
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